Chirayu Patel Wiki
Chirayu Patel Biography
Who is Chirayu Patel ?
A regional manager and large Subway franchisee who allegedly took $ 38 million from workers has now left the company, which for years turned a blind eye to its actions.
The manager, Chirayu Patel, now says that he will leave the company on November 17 to spend more time with his family, according to a message sent to the restaurants he oversees that was seen by The Post. He will continue to own about 15 restaurants as a franchisee, but will no longer work for the company’s corporate office.
The news comes a month after The Post revealed that the chain was behind the manager who oversees roughly 1,000 Northern California restaurants despite claims in court documents that he underpaid nearly 3,000 workers.
“The past year, despite all the challenges we faced in our industry, was eye-opening for me,” he said in the email. “He showed me the importance of being a good father and nothing should be more important than family.”
“Now I can finally spend more nights at home and hopefully learn to play golf,” he said in the email.wikipedia
There may be more to the situation, sources close to Subway told The Post. Patel settled the workers’ lawsuit over the summer.
“As soon as he settled his claim for $ 38 million in unpaid wages, he left,” said a source close to the matter, speculating that Patel left of his own free will. The company Subway was not named in the lawsuit, but executives at the Connecticut-based firm may have been concerned that keeping Patel on staff was a liability, the source speculated.
Patel claimed that he could not pay workers more than the agreement reached on July 30: it amounted to $ 188 per worker, or $ 550,000, according to court documents.
He allegedly stiffened 2,918 workers on many of the subways he owned with overtime pay, other hours they worked, and meal or rest periods, according to the lawsuit. At one point, he owned up to 70 Subway restaurants in Northern California, but now it’s down to about 15.
Subway CEO John Chidsey, who used to run Burger King, was hired in 2019 to turn around declining sales
Patel maintains its own restaurants, but is losing the territory it manages for Subway as a supposed development agent in which it was getting a cut of all sales. The head office uses agents to sell franchises in a given territory and to monitor compliance with corporate standards.
It’s unclear if Subway paid Patel anything to give up his territory.
Doctor’s Associates, Subway’s parent company, had known about the lawsuit since at least 2018, sources close to the situation said. The leaders there apparently did nothing. CEO John Chidsey, who used to run Burger King, has been trying to reverse the drop in sales since his arrival in 2019. The company has said a recent menu revamp is helping.
Chirayu Patel says he is leaving the company on Nov. 17 to spend more time with his family.
Subway did not respond to a request for comment from The Post. A company spokesperson told Restaurant Business on Thursday: “We can confirm that the territory in Northern California is transitioning to another business development group. Since the transition is ongoing, we are unable to share additional details at this time. ”
Patel told The Post last month: “We have always conducted business to Subway’s highest standards and in accordance with state laws.” He declined to comment further.
It’s not the first time that Subway has faced alleged labor violations - the US Department of Labor partnered with Subway in 2013 to strengthen its compliance efforts after detecting thousands of violations.
Patel also praised Subway co-founder Fred DeLuca, who died in 2015.
The Labor Department from 2000 to 2013 found 17,000 Fair Labor Standards Act violations at Subway restaurants, more than any other national chain, according to a CNN report at the time.
Meanwhile, Patel was accused of forcing the restaurants he ran to close in a 2019 New York Times story.
Patel allegedly sent his own inspectors to certain restaurants that competed with him, or that he wanted to buy, to find problems so he could force them to close. The violations allegedly included minor infractions such as finding handprints on glass doors or cucumber slices that were a little too thick.
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Patel in his email to the franchisees about leaving said: “I had a goal from day one, I wanted all owners to be successful, because without your success I could not have fulfilled my role.”
“We might have had the occasional disagreement, but in the end most of us came together to improve the brand we love. I am very proud of the team that we were able to form and how it became a great family. ”
Patel also praised Subway co-founder Fred DeLuca, who died in 2015.
“Lastly, we all have Fred to thank for the brand he created for us. We might not agree on everything Fred had done, but he really created the American dream for many of us. “
