Story perspectives

500 Illinois Workers File Class Action Over Sudden Closures

5/25/2026

Summary

Workers Sue

Workers filed a class-action suit in Illinois alleging illegal abrupt closures of Guzman y Gomez restaurants.
Employees say they learned of the closures on 21 May via an internal message.
The complaint seeks 60 days of pay for more than 500 workers, citing notice-law violations.
Two barista-shift leaders earning $21 and $23 an hour were named as plaintiffs and received no notice.

Summary

Guzman Employees Protest

A dozen Guzman y Gomez employees protested outside the shuttered Evanston restaurant Saturday.
Supervisor Jocelyn Delgado said the closure halted her move to an apartment and threatened her family’s finances.
Workers said the company could face fines $500 per day under Illinois’ Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act for missing 60-day notice.
The protest follows Big Wig Tacos’ earlier Chicago closure, second fast-casual Mexican restaurant shutdown in the area.

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Workers Sue

Workers filed a class-action suit in Illinois alleging illegal abrupt closures of Guzman y Gomez restaurants.
Employees say they learned of the closures on 21 May via an internal message.
The complaint seeks 60 days of pay for more than 500 workers, citing notice-law violations.
Two barista-shift leaders earning $21 and $23 an hour were named as plaintiffs and received no notice.

1 / 2