Chicago restaurant worker says he was fired for exposing unsanitary conditions
CHICAGO - A former employee of a popular Chicago restaurant claims he was wrongfully fired after recording what he felt were unsafe conditions in the kitchen.
A former server at Hugo's Frog Bar on Rush Street in the Gold Coast claims that he and other employees raised health concerns last month when he says there was a drain backup during business hours that led to sewage entering the kitchen.
Gibson’s Restaurant Group, however, says the issue was swiftly resolved and employees and customers were never exposed to unsanitary conditions.
On the evening of Sunday, June 4, Matthew Cabrales says he filmed a series of videos on his cellphone.
He alleges that after reporting sanitation concerns over the water backup in the kitchen area, staff were asked to resume serving customers.
The next day, Cabrales says he was asked not to return to work for his shift.
Days later, he claims that he was fired for using his cellphone during his shift to film the videos in question.
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Cabrales has since hired Attorney David Fish of Fish Potter Bolaños, P.C. and on Monday, they filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board – alleging that Cabrales was wrongfully terminated. Cabrales is now asking for lost wages.
On Tuesday, Cabrales spoke publicly.
"It smelled like sewage as soon as you hit the back of the house, as soon as you opened that little slide door, it smelled like sewage, and when you went to the back dish pit where the sewage was coming up, it smelled like feces directly," Cabrales said.
"We have a lot of elderly people and children, it’s a family restaurant, people of all ages, and we’re wading through water that has sewage in it and tracking that into the dining room."
In response to those claims, a spokeswoman for Gibson’s Restaurant Group released the following statement on Tuesday:
"Hugo's Frog Bar on Rush Street had a drain back up in its dishwashing area one evening last month which caused some puddling under the kitchen floor mats in the back-of-house. We are proud of the team who immediately sprang to action to find the cause, call in support, and clean and sanitize the area. Dishes to be cleaned were moved to an alternate dishwashing station until the situation was resolved. At no time was the health or safety of our customers or employees in danger – if there had been any risk, we wouldn’t hesitate to shut down, just like we voluntarily closed our patio to protect our employees and customers when the air quality in Chicago was hazardous. Hugo’s has always provided a safe working environment for its employees.
"These things happen in the restaurant business, which is why we regularly rod and jet our drains. In fact, our sanitary procedures go above and beyond what is required by the City, including a voluntary quarterly third-party inspection to assure we are operating at the highest standards of hygiene, cleanliness and sanitation. A big shout out to the members of our team who rose to the occasion.
"Hugo’s Frog Bar does not comment publicly about employee matters."
FOX 32 Chicago reached out to the Chicago Department of Public Health for details on policies in drain backup situations, but is still awaiting their response.
Meanwhile, FOX 32 also contacted the National Labor Relations Board regarding the complaint filed by Cabrales but did not immediately hear back.