Paseo Closes Amid Strange Allegations
The beloved Fremont sandwich shop has suddenly shut its doors
By Lauren Mang November 11, 2014
The foodie world was (and still is) abuzz this afternoon after Eater reported that Caribbean sandwich restaurant Paseo has abruptly closed both of its locations. Paseo has frequently made our yearly Readers’ Choice lists for best sandwich and back in 2010, we listed its Cuban Roast as one of the 5 best sandwiches to essentially try before you die.
From Eater:
A note on the door of the Fremont location read: “Due to unfortunate circumstances, we are closing our doors. We appreciate all the support and loyalty you have shown us over the years. We will miss you. Thank you, the Paseo Crew.”
Strange, for sure. But restaurants close all the time without notice. It appears, however, that Paseo’s closing might be the result of something a bit more sinister: According to The Puget Sound Business Journal, “Four Paseo employees issued complaints about the restaurant not meeting worker’s rights, according to documents filed with the King County Superior Court in September.” There are allegations that the four employees, who are of Hispanic-Mexican descent, were treated differently from non-Hispanic employees, were not paid overtime for their extra hours and were not allotted the required breaks during longer-than-average shifts.
With all of this coming to light, the Ballard News-Tribune is reporting that the owner of the Thunderbird Tavern has offered to hire any of the now-out-of-work Paseo cooks. Silver linings, indeed.
Stay tuned as we learn more about the lawsuit and the allegations against Paseo.