upper crust pizzeria
the upper crust pizzeria beverly hills 243 s. beverly drive beverly hills, ca
cesar provided excellent customer service, he was attentive and patient. he offered a great selection of speciality pizzas to choose from. upper crust pizzeria should be renamed to golden upper crust because the crust is cooked to crispy perfection .
the bitter internal dispute comes after years of mounting pressure on upper crust’s operations .
they should look up
suicide
instead of editing the upper crust page .
agreed. but as we were boycotting upper crust because of their shitty practices, my wife and i converted to ottos. ottos is better than upper crust anyways .
upper crust has 16 locations left after four restaurants shut down in the past year .
since 2001, the upper crust pizzeria has been serving award - winning pizza to boston - area residents craving something delicious and extraordinary. the concept is simple: use fresh …
upper crust pizzeria is open daily in beverly hills from 11 a. m. to 11 p. m. , with delivery, takeout, and dine - in seating available .
“a federal grand jury is scheduled to hear testimony this week about the alleged exploitation of immigrant workers at upper crust pizzeria, according to several sources with direct knowledge of the inquiry .
local activists also have launched boycotts to protest what they say is upper crust’s mistreatment of workers .
the relationship between upper crust and the brazilian workers soured over time as the company grew larger .
the owner of the upper crust franchise in plymouth, al cervelli, bought the hingham location .
last month, more than 60 student groups at harvard university joined together to boycott upper crust restaurants .
immigration officials are investigating whether upper crust pizzeria harbored and exploited illegal immigrant workers, the second federal inquiry into the restaurant chain, according to several former employees with direct knowledge of the new investigation .
harvard square’s upper crust pizzeria, which closed in the wake of a company - wide legal scandal last november, will reopen as the renamed and partially worker - owned the just crust, ushering in a new era for employees of the embattled chain .
gildezio silva made a pizza at the former upper crust, rechristened anchor stone deck pizza, in newburport .
hi winnie, so sorry to hear you were less than pleased with your experience at upper crust. since…
this is a real deal pizzeria serving top quality (
upper crust
) pizza that' s better than any other pizza available in beverly hills. free parking available at city lot down the street .
liss - riordan said she hopes for the just crust to open by march. she said she is also still involved in potentially acquiring other former upper crust locations .
brian munro worked outside on the transition of the former upper crust into the anchor stone deck pizza in newburyport .
boston restaurant associates (they run the regina pizzeria chain) snapped up the storefront near fenway park .
using only the freshest local ingredients available, boston’s legendary upper crust pizzeria now serves award - winning pizza to arlingtonians who crave something unique, inspired and extraordinary. come see our latest location at the lee heights shops !
lawyers representing tobins and upper crust co - owners josh huggard and brendan higgins did not respond to messages seeking comment .
“when jordan did attend to upper crust business, he was a disruptive force, often yelling and threatening employees. ”
upper crust has repeatedly denied accusations for the past several years that it rescinded overtime compensation ordered by the labor agency .
and david berman, a lawyer representing upper crust, said the boston chain does not know of any such investigation .
the labor department is looking into accusations that upper crust rescinded thousands of dollars in back overtime payments the agency required the company to make to employees in 2009. immigration officials have been examining whether upper crust harbored and exploited illegal immigrant workers…”
try otto or sweet tomatoes. if you liked the upper crust, you' ll love both of those places .
“instead of focusing on the upper crust business, in the last three to four years jordan has spent more time on his yacht, in his vacation home, playing with his cessna airplane (which he purchased for himself with upper crust funds), and in florida (where there is an upper crust pizza location which he claims is owned and operated by his father) than in the office or working on upper crust matters, ” huggard and higgins alleged in their complaint .
berman said boycotts of the restaurants are misguided. he characterized the allegations against upper crust as “false, malicious, and defamatory, ’’ and said, “we regret that anyone has seen fit to refrain from patronizing upper crust’’ because of the reports .
shannon liss - riordan sued upper crust in 2010 on behalf of immigrant workers who claim the company took advantage of employees .
hard to say what will happen to that one, but it' s days as an upper crust are probably over .
thats awesome. i liked the occasional upper crust style pizza, so now i have a righteous place to get it .
the problems deepened in june, when zvi construction filed a lawsuit seeking about $ 700, 000 it claims it is owed for store improvements at upper crust restaurants. zvi then attempted to seize upper crust’s bank accounts at td bank and bank of america .
long - embattled new england pizza chain the upper crust pizzeria is expanding to the west coast, landing their first cross - continent location in beverly hills as of a few weeks ago — though their official grand opening party was just last friday .
federal immigration officials began examining upper crust earlier this year, according to the former workers who requested anonymity because the investigation is ongoing .
cambridge, mass. — in the ashes of the boston pizza chain that wronged them, some former upper crust pizzeria employees are trying to get their just desserts. they’re opening their own restaurant, hoping to show up the previous owners with even bigger success .
upper crust has denied accusations made by former employees, but in their lawsuit filed against tobins, higgins and huggard state: “jordan’s reckless spending and abusive behavior caused the upper crust to incur significant legal bills to defend itself in civil suits and with the department of labor. ”
levy also noted that the former upper crust workers are no longer opposing marcus’s motion to dismiss the charges against him in the civil lawsuit .
the department of labor launched an investigation into upper crust in 2009 after several immigrant employees took their complaints about working conditions to the agency .
plymouth — when al carvelli recently dismantled the upper crust sign outside his pizza shop here, the former franchisee felt a sense of relief .
my children and i saw the upper crust pizzeria facebook post so we drove to it. . it' s a small shop located in columbia. we ordered halal cheese steaks, pizza and wings. soooo gooood! you gotta try them out! !! !
agreement of lease between braintree property associates, limited partnership and ocean, inc. d / b / a
pizzeria regina
upper crust' s 33 - year - old owner jordan tobins originally planned to be a pediatrician. now he' s a pizza king .
berman, upper crust’s lawyer, said sales during december, january, and february were “in line with the same period in prior years. ’’
hi sophie, we' re so sorry to hear about this - and agree that this just isn' t the upper crust way. …
tobins, who has been placed on leave from upper crust over the accusations, issued a strong response in a counterclaim that denied the allegations, and asserted that huggard and higgins had “unlawfully seized control of the upper crust business, causing tremendous damage to their partner and imperiling the business itself. ”
in addition to the immigration investigation, a us department of labor inquiry into upper crust’s wage practices has been underway for several months. labor department officials are looking into allegations that the boston restaurant chain rescinded thousands of dollars in back overtime wages the agency required upper crust to pay employees in 2009 .
upper crust, in previous globe stories, acknowledged it had made mistakes in its overtime payment practices, but said the company has resolved those issues .
the former harvard square location of the bankrupt local pizza chain the upper crust is indeed reopening as the just crust in what can only be described as an act of pizza - justice - performance art - revenge .
tramontana said sunday was bittersweet — that’s when he took down the upper crust signs at his newburyport restaurant. after opening in 2008, he said, upper crust was a franchisee’s dream: a fast - growing business with instant brand recognition that won awards for its gourmet pizzas delivered by bicycle around boston .
they said upper crust relied on low - paid illegal laborers from a small town in brazil to expand the chain to 18 restaurants over the past decade .
tobins, huggard and higgins settled their lawsuit in august 2012. under the terms of the settlement, tobins paid huggard and higgins $ 250, 000 and assumed partial liability for the class action lawsuit by former upper crust employees, the department of labor investigation, and a lawsuit by upper crust' s construction firm. in exchange, tobins received the rights to the upper crust name. finally, huggard and higgins took ownership of the upper crust restaurants in back bay, fenway, harvard square, hingham, lexington, state street, south end, summer street, waltham, washington dc, watertown, and wellesley .
in one of the suits, two former cooks claim they were fired after complaining that upper crust deducted thousands of dollars from their checks to recoup overtime payments .
so after years of painful sales declines, carvelli has parted ways with upper crust, which filed for bankruptcy protection in october following mounting financial problems, labor troubles, and disputes among its partners. he is joined by mark tramontana, another former upper crust franchisee who shut down his portsmouth restaurant earlier this year and recently terminated his relationship with the company for the newburyport location. the sole remaining franchisee in west roxbury would not confirm whether it planned to continue working with upper crust .
however ,
the upper crust
was a more clever bit of word play, applying a fairly common phrase to a related business. i never hear people using
just crust
or
the just crust
in any common way, so that phrase has to more represent the business accurately (imo) .
“i informed upper crust’s owners that the company could not recoup the dol payments from its employees. as for the money that had been recouped by mr. botelho from the checks he cashed for the employees who had returned to brazil, this cash was returned to upper crust, and new checks were issued for these employees, ” marcus said in the affidavit. “however the payments that were recouped from employees by upper crust through the reduced salary arrangement were never paid back to employees. ”
employees eventually took their complaints to the department of labor, which first investigated in 2009 and ordered upper crust to pay workers nearly $ 350, 000 in overtime .
david berman, tobins’s lawyer, denied marcus’s allegations in his new affidavit and said the chief financial officer was the sole liaison between upper crust and the labor agency .
ld rather pay more for real meat not a tease buck up you would bring in more people. wow upper crust they got the baddest wings every nooot. yet
the pizzeria violated the fair labor standards act by withholding full overtime pay to employees and keeping faulty records of their work hours, according to investigators .
thanks for the info. i' m eager to try out just crust !
the upper crust pizzeria is a boston, united states based chain of pizzeria restaurants. founded by jordan tobins, the first location opened in beacon hill in 2001. it has won local accolades such as
best gourmet pizza
( boston magazine) and
boston' s best pizza
. (the improper bostonian) by may 2009, the chain had grown to 14 locations and 17 by july 2010. in april 2011 the upper crust opened its 21st location, and its first outside of new england, in washington, d. c. and announced plans to open additional restaurants in the dc area over the next five years .
tobins and his partners tried to resolve their differences this summer with a settlement agreement that would allow the founder to keep the upper crust name and franchising rights, along with two upper crust stores in brookline and beacon hill in exchange for a $ 250, 000 payment, according to a copy of the agreement filed with the bankruptcy court .
here is the problem as i see it, and i' m sure there are fractured opinions on this... pizza is not primarily about the
crust
. yes, a crust can make or break a pizza, yadda yadda. even for a
thin crust
or
thick crust
pizza i still believe you think about the whole pie. the just crust calls too much attention to the crust, especially if they do not plan to have some sort of uniqueness about the crust itself (which i did not take from the article) .
al carvelli at his restaurant, which he now calls top crust, in plymouth. the bicycle used to sit in a window as an icon of the eatery when in was called upper crust. he removed it in honor of the restaurant’s new name .
they are requesting the court take control of tobins’s 45 percent stake in the business as well as several limited liability companies related to upper crust’s operations that are controlled by him .
upper crust’s sales and high growth depended on a steady flow of illegal laborers from the impoverished village of marilac in southeastern brazil, according to a globe investigation published in 2010 .
“this gives me freedom to bring in more business without being tied to upper crust, ” said carvelli, 70, during an interview at his plymouth restaurant, which he is rebranding as “top crust” and expanding the menu to include wraps, subs, and desserts .
the chain is under investigation by the us department of labor over alleged violations of wage and hour laws. and several former employees have filed civil suits accusing upper crust of mistreatment .
the offers are for leases and restaurant equipment, not the rights to use the upper crust name. upper crust filed for bankruptcy protection in october after years of financial and labor troubles. a bankruptcy trustee closed 10 stores in november because the business had almost no cash and few supplies after executives paid themselves a month’s salary in advance. upper crust said in court records it owes at least $ 3. 4 million, and the us department of labor filed a claim that the company owes workers $ 850, 000 in back wages and damages .
click the gear in the upper - right hand corner of the window, then internet options .
this fall, the firm provided $ 250, 000 as part of a settlement that was in the works between tobins and his upper crust partners, according to attorneys and court records .
here' s the entire upper crust entry you would have seen at 5: 39 p. m. yesterday, after somebody claiming to be from the current ownership was done editing :
upper crust founder jordan tobins, who owns the franchising rights and company name, along with restaurants in brookline and beacon hill, did not return messages seeking comment. tobins has kept a low profile since working with a private equity firm to purchase several upper crust stores at the bankruptcy auction and re - open locations in the south end, watertown, lexington, and wellesley .
as the boston globe reports, upper crust pizzeria spent the better part of the past five years in and out of litigation, mostly related to underpaying immigrant staffers who came to the pizza brand primarily via a small town in brazil. the boston paper investigated the company in 2010 (the same year that workers sued the company for failing to pay minimum wage and overtime), and by 2012 upper crust had filed for bankruptcy, citing over $ 3 million in debts and a nearly $ 1 million judgment brought against them by the us labor department .
upper crust owes an equal amount in damages, as well as $ 37, 000 in civil penalties, according to the proof of claim filed last week in us bankruptcy court in massachusetts .
some ex - employees have accused upper crust founder jordan tobins of taking back thousands of dollars in back - overtime wages that were ordered by the us department of labor after its 2009 investigation .
liss - riordan said she believes there are questions about whether tobins, through a third - party firm, can buy the upper crust locations because of an injunction prohibiting him from transferring assets .
i always loved how packed it was, while the upper crust was empty, and their poor employees (who are the real victims) were just staring out the window like sad puppies .
whoa! !! this article only references one of upper crust' s many former locations. the rest of the locations are, last i heard, being bought back by jordan tobins .
they can bring it back the same way. he then told him they will never deliver to our address again. (which really hurt my feelings) not really lol. i don' t write reviews often but this had to be written to explain the horrible service from upper crust pizzeria 8835 centre park drive columbia md 21045 phone # 410. 740. 90
since 2001, this pizzeria has been serving award - winning pizza to boston - area residents craving something delicious and extraordinary. the concept is simple: use fresh ingredients in traditional and unexpected ways on top of a flavorful crust. the menu has grown from classic combos to more unique and daring pairings - all atop a mouth - watering style, thin crust .
lease approx. seating expiration location sq. ft. capacity date name / type - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - north end, boston (1) 4, 300 67 na pizzeria regina (wait - service) faneuil hall marketplace (2) 750 na 12 / 31 / 00 pizzeria regina boston (upstairs) (food court) faneuil hall marketplace (3) 2, 000 75 12 / 31 / 97 pizzeria regina boston (downstairs) (wait - service) longwood medical center (2) 650 na 1 / 31 / 98 pizzeria regina boston (food court) burlington mall 3, 000 100 4 / 30 / 99 pizzeria regina burlington (self - service) burlington mall (2) 1, 018 na 11 / 30 / 05 pizzeria regina burlington (food court) 14 south shore plaza (2) (5) 700 na 2 / 28 / 06 pizzeria regina braintree (food court) lexington 3, 850 160 11 / 14 / 98 bel canto solomon pond mall (2) (5) 1, 085 na 1 / 30 / 07 pizzeria regina marlborough (food court) saugus (6) 11, 000 400 11 / 30 / 12 polcari' s north end
franklin levy, a lawyer representing upper crust and huggard and higgins, said tobins remains on leave indefinitely, and discussions are continuing with the federal labor agency over a potential settlement on its allegations .
“upper crust plotted and carried out an illegal scheme to recoup back wages that the dol ordered it to pay its workers, ” said shannon liss - riordan, an attorney representing the former employees .
upper crust opened at least three new stores last year. pinto and batista said they stayed with the company despite the alleged wage deductions because they worried about finding another job in a down economy .
as a result, upper crust drastically slashed its payroll, they said, and forced the managers — who do not receive overtime — to work double shifts and upwards of 60 hours a week .
boston restaurant associates, which runs the regina pizzeria chain, acquired the lease for the upper crust near fenway park for $ 175, 000. sam sokol, who works for a real estate and hospitality investment firm, paid $ 100, 000 for the newbury street site and said he plans to open a pizza shop at the location, but would not disclose which brand .
since 2001, the upper crust pizzeria has been serving award - winning pizza to boston - area residents craving something delicious and extraordinary. the concept is simple: use fresh ingredients in traditional and unexpected ways on top of a flavorful crust. our menu has grown from classic combos to more unique and daring pairings - all atop a mouth - watering thin crust pizza. from our original storefront on beacon hill' s historic charles street to any of our other metro area and suburban locations, customers can grab takeout, get delivery or choose to dine in. our award - winning architectural spaces include open kitchens, pizza tin - decorated ceilings and high - definition flat screens, all adding up to deliver a truly unique experience that can only be described as upper crust .
the fight is spelled out in a complaint and counterclaim filed in suffolk superior court by upper crust co - owners joshua huggard and brendan higgins on one side, and founder jordan tobins on the other .
the pair also alleged that tobins misused corporate checks for a down payment on a home, falsely claimed personal trips to the cayman islands and nantucket as business expenses, and put his wife on the upper crust payroll even though she did not work for the company. the partners said that tobins’s “reckless spending” endangered upper crust’s finances at a time it was waging an expensive legal defense over its labor practices .
marcus’s testimony is at odds with what upper crust has maintained about its employment practices. the company has repeatedly denied accusations for the past several years that it rescinded overtime compensation ordered by the labor agency .
publicity about upper crust’s alleged labor practices appears to be taking a toll on its business. sales declined by nearly 20 percent in december, according to several former store managers who recently left the company .
shannon liss - riordan, co - owner of the just crust pizzeria in harvard square (49b brattle st .), is not accustomed to being a restaurateur. in fact, she’s had much more experience suing restaurants than running them. liss - riordan is a lawyer who’s earned distinction defending waitstaff and workers from unfair pay practices, lately gaining notice for leading a class action suit against uber in defense of drivers. so when she bought the just crust–formerly the upper crust, another company against which she led a class action suit–she was in for a bit of an awakening .
because upper crust faced a cash crunch, huggard and higgins stated, they had to pour their own money into the company, borrow from relatives, and cut their own pay to keep the business going .
“i talked to them, ’’ said one of the former workers. the immigration department “is looking at how the employees got here, whether upper crust is giving them housing, and the overall arrangement. ’’
degiacomo is investigating upper crust operations for potential lawsuits against individuals who may have received money prior to the bankruptcy outside the course of business. he said he plans to try to recover more funds for creditors .
in december, the globe reported that more than 80 men from marilac, an impoverished brazilian village, over the years made their way to boston, risking deportation and even death, for the promise of a job at an upper crust restaurant. the company allegedly depended on the pipeline of cheap labor to staff kitchens and deliver pizzas. upper crust also set up an apartment for some brazilian employees near its hingham location .
uc acquisitions, a private equity firm with ties to upper crust founder jordan tobins, purchased some locations from the bankruptcy estate of huggard' s and higgin' s firm. the location in harvard square was subsequently purchased by an attorney who had represented the chain' s employees in a lawsuit, to be re - opened as a partly employee - owned pizzeria. since uc acquisitions and tobins took control of upper crust, many franchisees have elected to cut ties with the company. as of april 2013, tobins or uc acquisitions control the upper crust name and the locations in beacon hill, brookline, lexington, south end, watertown, and wellesley. also, as of april 2013, massachusetts has more than $ 100, 000 in tax liens outstanding against jordan tobins and his boston condo for unpaid meal taxes .
a partner at boston - based plaintiffs’ - side employment and labor law firm lichten & liss - riordan, she will open the just crust pizzeria on brattle street in cambridge, just down the block from where she lived with her now husband, kevin, while she was in law school .
a federal investigation of pay practices at upper crust between april 2009 and january 2011 found the company violated minimum - wage and overtime laws and failed to pay 67 employees roughly $ 425, 000 during that period .
tobins, in his counterclaim, states that forcing the founder out of the multimillion - dollar business he built has undermined creditors’ confidence in upper crust, and resulted in creditors filing suit seeking to collect on their debts .
“i’m just trying to make it work, ” said carvelli, who also sold a former upper crust location in hingham that he bought at auction after realizing he needed to focus on a turnaround at the plymouth shop .
the labor department, which determined upper crust owed workers about $ 850, 000 in back wages and damages, will detail its claims in lawsuits it plans to file against the corporate entities and individual executives, fitzgerald said .
the story behind just crust is alluded to in its logo: a beaming, aproned worker holding up a sign the way you would at a protest or rally. it’s a stark contrast from its predecessor, the upper crust, whose logo shows a dandy man in a top hat riding a bicycle. it’s poetic juxtaposition, considering the backstory that many cantabrigians may recall. more than five years ago, the rapidly expanding upper crust franchise based out of waltham became steeped in controversy for hiring undocumented workers and underpaying their staff. after the labor department forced the company to pay almost $ 350, 000 in back pay, they reportedly cut wages to make up for what they would lose in the federally mandated payouts. upper crust would ultimately declare bankruptcy, and its locations were auctioned off .
the globe reported in april that upper crust owed nearly $ 150, 000 in unpaid meals taxes from about 10 of its restaurants, and last week the pizza chain said it closed a location on commonwealth avenue near boston university .
two former cooks at upper crust pizza filed a lawsuit yesterday that accuses the popular chain of taking back thousands of dollars in overtime payments that were ordered by the us department of labor after an investigation into the company’s compensation practices .
“although he will claim he is doing it through someone else, the point is that assets under his control should be preserved to pay back the employees, as well as creditors of upper crust, ” liss - riordan said .
interesting timing. i noticed people working inside the south end upper crust over the last two days, i wasn' t sure if they were moving out or what. i searched for uc aquisitions and found this globe article :
the restaurant’s old life was part of a once fast - growing local chain. but the owners may have been taking the “upper crust” name too literally. they may have been trying to get rich at the expense of workers .
in 2009, the federal government investigated and ordered upper crust to pay its employees $ 341, 000 in back wages for uncompensated overtime. after that, workers accused ownership of taking that money right back out of their paychecks .
shannon liss - riordan, who sued upper crust in 2010 on behalf of immigrant employees who claim the business took advantage of workers and seized back wages from them, said she plans to give employees ownership shares in the restaurant .
two former cooks at upper crust pizza today filed a lawsuit that accuses the popular chain of taking back thousands of dollars in overtime payments that were ordered by the us department of labor following an investigation into the company’s compensation practices .
upper crust, the bankrupt gourmet pizza chain accused of exploiting workers as it expanded across the region, owes employees about $ 850, 000 in back wages and damages, according to court records filed by the us department of labor .
upper crust, which was founded in 2001 in beacon hill and quickly gained a devoted following, depended on a steady pipeline of immigrant workers from the impoverished village of marilac in brazil, according to a globe investigation published in 2010 .
“upper crust is really jordan’s life so he’s very excited. he’s very happy a number of employees will be back having jobs, ” said rick mikels, an attorney for tobins, who started the chain in beacon hill in 2001 .
higgins and huggard would keep running the remaining restaurants as long as they did not use the word “upper’’ in their names .
after a night of bar hopping i was headed back to my hotel for the night. on my walk i passed upper crust and figured this would be a great way to avoid any morning - after effects so i decided to pop into upper crust. the joint was relatively empty but the staff was busy making pies. i went with 2 slices of pepperoni which i enjoyed inside. the thin crust foldable pizza was great! from the cheese to the sauce and topping, all of the ingredients were flavorful and yummy. i could have easily ate an entire pie that night but they were closing up shop and i didn' t want to be
that guy
. although my experience at upper crust was brief it was a good one. glad i stumbled across this place on my way back to my hotel .
shannon e. liss - riordan ’90, who represented upper crust employees in a labor abuse case against the management, spearheaded a fundraising effort to purchase the harvard square location when the pizza chain’s ten leases were auctioned off in december 2012 .
josh huggard, one of upper crust’s owners, said the chain “learned from its mistakes in the past” regarding the department of labor investigation into its overtime payment practices. but huggard said the company “never ever said [ employees ] couldn’t work for us or that they had to pay us back. ” huggard said pinto, who worked at upper crust on commonwealth avenue in boston, was fired because “he was lazy. he was an awful worker. ” read the full article here
haluk ozek, owner of monella boutique on brattle street, partnered with liss - riordan to purchase the pizzeria at the auction. he said he immediately loved liss - riordan’s idea of giving ownership shares to the employees .
“this place is a slice of heaven and the pizza is a thin crust and fresh ingredients. ” in 5 reviews
“among other things, mr. tobins said words to the effect of ‘this is my company’ and ‘the employees are not going to take my money, ’ ” marcus, who worked at upper crust until last summer, said in court records .
hi sophie, we' re so sorry to hear about this - and agree that this just isn' t the upper crust way. please email me directly so we can make this right for you: erika @ theuppercrustpizze…. thank you, erika
the upper crust in brookline has actually seen an increase in business since their other locations have shut down, and while i can see certain locations offering delivery, i would be surprised if the brookline one did in the foreseeable future... .
upper crust has abruptly closed most of its restaurants, let go about 140 employees, and will shut down permanently unless the gourmet pizza chain gets a cash infusion in the next few days, according to a trustee overseeing the boston - based company .
shannon liss - riordan, an attorney who filed the class - action suit on behalf of former upper crust workers, said she will continue pursuing claims for employees who were allegedly forced to choose between keeping their jobs or keeping their payments for back wages .
so on sunday night, after celebrating his son’s birthday, tramontana got rid of the upper crust logos, signs, and menus. he renamed the pizzas after his three children and local landmarks, and lowered the prices on everything from pies to sodas .
after being ordered by the government to pay employees nearly $ 350, 000 in overtime, executives at upper crust devised a scheme to wrest the money back, including cashing forged checks and slashing workers’ wages, according to the pizza chain’s former chief financial officer .
by then, tramontana had plans underway to separate from upper crust. he knew the bad publicity wasn’t going away anytime soon. if anything, it might get more intense — the class action filed by former workers is scheduled to go to trial this summer .
i' ve been to regina but not the others. there' s a lot of great pizza places in boston but upper crust was just my personal favorite. i stopped going there though when i found out what a dick the owner was / is .
over the past decade, dozens of men from marilac have made the 7, 500 - mile trek, risking arrest, deportation, and, in rare cases, death. and upper crust, founded by sharon native jordan tobins in 2001, welcomed them .
huggard said pinto, who worked at upper crust on commonwealth avenue in boston, was fired more than a year ago because “he was lazy. he was an awful worker. ’’ but paychecks provided by batista’s lawyers show he received checks through april of this year .
the business, which filed for bankruptcy protection last month, needs $ 120, 000 to keep doors open. if the company can obtain funding within few days, it could avoid a permanent shutdown. so far, upper crust has closed 10 of 16 locations .
jo filho, general manager and head chef at the just crust, in front of the menu he created for the restaurant .
upper crust co - owners allegedly decided to recover the money they were supposed to pay employees by turning the hourly workers into “managers” and putting them on salaries at a reduced rate, according to the affidavit filed by marcus and previous interviews with former employees and other managers .
carvelli bought the store in 2010 with plans to have fun and make money at the popular gourmet pizza chain that had rapidly expanded across the region. but tough economic times and bad publicity from accusations that upper crust executives exploited workers at other stores had the opposite effect .
at a hearing in us bankruptcy court tuesday, the trustee, mark g. degiacomo, said upper crust shut restaurants monday night because it had just four days of supplies and only $ 14, 000 in cash after company executives paid themselves a month’s salary in advance .
the embattled upper crust pizza chain, already under federal investigation for its labor practices, is now riven by a nasty battle for control of the company among its co - owners, who are accusing each other of misusing corporate funds for personal extravagances such as a private airplane .
in 2012, upper crust co - owners joshua huggard and brendan higgins sued tobins, alleging that he had used more than $ 750, 000 in company money for personal expenses, such as the purchase of a small airplane. tobins was placed on leave from the company .
this is so cool. i' ll have to check out just crust when it opens. i hope they' re successful .
as for sustainability, the just crust sources its ingredients from local or regional farms. from the flour in the dough, to the tomatoes in the sauce, taking a bite out of a just crust slice is like getting a taste of the farms of new england .
shannon liss - riordan, who sued upper crust in 2010 on behalf of immigrant employees who claim the business took advantage of workers and seized back wages from them, said she plans to give employees ownership shares in the restaurant. she partnered with another investor, haluk ozek, who owns monella boutique in harvard square, to buy the cambridge lease and equipment and they are considering naming the restaurant “the just crust. ”
upper crust founder jordan tobins “yelled and screamed about the investigation” after the us department of labor informed the boston chain it owed money to more than 100 employees, david marcus said in an affidavit filed on friday in suffolk superior court in a lawsuit brought by former workers over back pay .
these new allegations may complicate an ongoing labor department investigation into the matter and the former staffers’ suit. the troubles at upper crust, which won praise from area foodies and corporate titans like jack welch, also highlight the treatment of immigrants who provide cheap labor for businesses in the service economy .
the rest of the former upper crust locations were auctioned off in december (along with this store in harvard). 4 of them were purchased (contentiously) by a manageent company with connections to tobins. the rest went to other bidders (inlcuding the harvard square store already mentioned) .
tobins needed lots of kitchen help; the brazilians worked hard and didn’t complain about workweeks that routinely stretched to 80 hours. marilac prospered as upper crust’s immigrant employees sent thousands of dollars home, and the company swiftly expanded from its original store in beacon hill to one upscale suburb after another .
josh huggard, one of upper crust’s owners, said the chain “learned from its mistakes in the past’’ regarding the department of labor investigation into its overtime payment practices. but huggard said the company “never ever said [ employees ] couldn’t work for us or that they had to pay us back. ’’
the bankrupt upper crust pizza chain was sliced up at auction wednesday, as a private equity firm with ties to ousted founder jordan tobins won leases for four restaurants, while an attorney who filed a class - action lawsuit against tobins and the company for allegedly exploiting workers purchased the harvard square location .
upper crust, which defaulted on a td bank loan in late september, said it owes at least $ 3. 4 million to creditors, including more than $ 500, 000 to zvi construction co. in brookline, about $ 235, 000 to a food distributor, and $ 230, 000 to a former massachusetts attorney general, thomas f. reilly, who represented the business after leaving office, according to a list filed last month with the bankruptcy court. the state department of revenue says upper crust has not paid an estimated $ 843, 000 in meals taxes from the last year .
berman, tobins’s lawyer, said botelho told his client that some employees in brazil were happy with their experience at upper crust and did not want the money so botelho returned the cash from the checks to marcus. berman said he is not sure what happened to the money that was given to marcus .
in april, huggard and higgins sued tobins, accusing him of looting the upscale boston pizza chain by charging more than $ 750, 000 in personal expenses to the company, including buying a cessna airplane. they asked the court to force tobins to surrender his stakes in upper crust and its related businesses .
several former employees have filed a civil lawsuit seeking class - action status that claims upper crust management, after making the lump restitution payments for overtime, told workers they would have to pay it back if they wanted to keep their jobs. there is a hearing set for tuesday to schedule a trial date .
more wikipedians poured in overnight to discuss the whole thing, including whether to include material from a globe article that one editor could not find - but which another editor promptly did. as of a few minutes ago, the upper crust entry still has a section on the department of labor and the lawsuits .
yes, the upper crust management were a bunch of assholes that exploited unskilled labor. we know this and in their case they had the hutzpah to make everyone a manager so they wouldn' t have to pay overtime. a cruel joke but in the end ownership lost their business in a bankruptcy auction .
the lawsuit, which seeks class action status, was filed nearly a year after upper crust was ordered to pay more than $ 341, 000 in back wages to about 121 workers for uncompensated overtime, according to john chavez, a spokesman for the agency. the chain has 17 restaurants in the boston area .
the government notified upper crust founder jordan tobins of its findings in august 2011 and spent more than a year trying to come to an agreement with the chain on payments and penalties. but the business, with 176 employees, sought bankruptcy protection in october after facing persistent labor problems, financial troubles, and ownership disputes .
and even if they didn' t, they' re still in the same business. they both make and sell pizza, primarily. and when you have competition literally across the street, it only makes it tougher. hell, the otto on commonwealth ave. in allston took over a closing upper crust location .
“this scheme has been confirmed now by three managers of upper crust. we are hopeful this evidence will bring us closer to a resolution of the case, so that we can get the workers back their money, as well as compensation for the workers who lost their jobs because they didn’t go along with the scheme. ”
despite sliding sales, the franchisees stuck by upper crust and refused to criticize the owners, even as they feuded and charged each other with misusing corporate funds. but that changed last fall after the company sold thousands of discount vouchers on groupon without the franchisees’ knowledge, kept the proceeds, and then filed for bankruptcy protection .
as upper crust rapidly expanded, the business depended on immigrant laborers from a village in brazil. at first, workers embraced the opportunity, but over time, the relationship was strained as employees were underpaid for long workweeks while owners indulged in luxuries such as a yacht, according to a 2010 investigation published in the globe .
the scrutiny by immigration and customs enforcement, or ice, is the latest problem for upper crust, which also is contending with organized boycotts and the departure of at least three store managers following a december boston globe story in which some former employees alleged the company routinely took advantage of brazilian workers by underpaying them for long workweeks .
i had almost walked by this place many times until i realized that the men rolling dough in the window were connected to a pizzeria. i haven' t even had one of their slices but their calzones give me so much joy i wanted to dedicate all my five stars to those instead .
the case was eventually granted class - action status in july 2012, allowing liss - riordan to represent all of the aggrieved workers. when the upper crust filed for bankruptcy in october and the company closed its 10 storefronts, liss - riordan started thinking about a way to reopen the restaurants and further help the employees she had represented .
the lawsuit, which seeks class action status, comes nearly a year after upper crust paid more than $ 341, 000 in back wages to about 121 workers for uncompensated overtime, following a us department of labor investigation, according to john chavez, a spokesman for the agency. the chain has 17 restaurants in the boston area .
but not upper crust pizzeria & deli. the employee became very nasty and irate with me. he told me from now on i should order from somewhere else. no problem. i tried calling back but they did not answer from the number i was calling from (caller id). i called my husband and explained to him what happened. he called and the same employee got nasty with him. but he offered my husband the refund, claiming he didn' t want to argue. he then told my husband to come and pick it up (around 9 pm). we paid extra for it to be delivered ,
al carvelli, who runs an upper crust franchise in plymouth, submitted the successful bid of $ 70, 000 for the hingham location. the landlord at state street bought back its lease for $ 170, 000 and the landlord for the washington, d. c. , shop also took over its site for $ 63, 000 .
results of operations for the years ended april 27, 1997 and april 28, 1996 revenues net sales in fiscal 1997 were $ 11, 411, 000 compared to net sales of $ 10, 864, 000 in fiscal 1996. the increase in net sales in fiscal 1997 as compared to fiscal 1996 reflected, among other things, an increase in net sales at the new solomon pond mall and south shore plaza pizzeria regina (which replaced an in - line restaurant at this mall) food court restaurants which were open in august of 1996, increased aggregate sales from the other pizzeria regina restaurants and increased sales at the new polcari' s north end restaurant. the increases were partially offset by a reduction in net sales at the remaining bel canto restaurant and the closure of the self - service pizzeria regina at the south shore plaza in august of 1996. net sales at the company' s pizzeria regina restaurants increased to $ 7, 890, 000 in fiscal 1997 from $ 6, 543, 000 in fiscal 1996, principally due to the addition of sales from the new pizzeria regina food court kiosks and the brookline location opened in february 1996 which was subsequently closed in may 1997 at the completion of its lease (due to the inability to renegotiate a market value lease). in addition there was aggregate increase in sales from the previously existing ongoing pizzeria regina restaurants. net sales at the company' s full service casual dining restaurants decreased to $ 3, 479, 000 in fiscal 1997 from $ 4, 287, 000 in fiscal 1996. while sales at the new polcari' s north end restaurant in fiscal 1997 increased by over $ 326, 000 from the sales in fiscal 1996 period, this increase was offset by decreased sales at the remaining bel canto restaurant, the closure of the framingham capucino' s in june 1995, the closure of the wellesley restaurant in november 1995, and the conversion of the brookline capucino' s to a pizzeria regina in february 1996. the decrease at the bel canto restaurant was primarily attributable to the increased competition in the lexington area. costs and expenses cost of food and beverages 18
upper crust pizzeria is a boston , massachusetts based chain of pizzeria restaurants . the chain went bankrupt following a finding by the u.s. department of labor that it had engaged in wage theft ( not paying workers their legally required wages ) . founded by jordan tobins , the first location opened in beacon hill in 2001 . it won local accolades such as " best gourmet pizza " ( boston magazine ) and " boston 's best pizza " ( the improper bostonian ) . by may 2009 , the chain had grown to 14 locations , and 17 by july 2010 . in april 2011 the upper crust opened its 21st location , and its first outside of new england , in washington , d.c. and announced plans to open 10 additional restaurants in the dc area over the next five years . the chain subsequently declared bankruptcy in 2012 amid allegations that the company violated labor laws and raided the company 's cash for his own expenses , a claim he has denied . 
upper crust pizzeria is a boston, massachusetts based chain of pizzeria restaurants. the chain went bankrupt following a finding by the u.s. department of labor that it had engaged in wage theft (not paying workers their legally required wages). founded by jordan tobins, the first location opened in beacon hill in 2001. it won local accolades such as " best gourmet pizza " (boston magazine) and " boston's best pizza " (the improper bostonian). by may 2009, the chain had grown to 14 locations, and 17 by july 2010. in april 2011 the upper crust opened its 21st location, and its first outside of new england, in washington, d.c. and announced plans to open 10 additional restaurants in the dc area over the next five years. the chain subsequently declared bankruptcy in 2012 amid allegations that the company violated labor laws and raided the company's cash for his own expenses, a claim he has denied.
upper crust pizzeria is a boston, massachusetts based chain of pizzeria restaurants. the chain went bankrupt following a finding by the u.s. department of labor that it had engaged in wage theft (not paying workers their legally required wages). founded by jordan tobins, the first location opened in beacon hill in 2001. it won local accolades such as " best gourmet pizza " (boston magazine) and " boston's best pizza " (the improper bostonian). by may 2009, the chain had grown to 14 locations, and 17 by july 2010. in april 2011 the upper crust opened its 21st location, and its first outside of new england, in washington, d.c. and announced plans to open 10 additional restaurants in the dc area over the next five years. the chain subsequently declared bankruptcy in 2012 amid allegations that the company violated labor laws and raided the company's cash for his own expenses, a claim he has denied.