Photo submitted by Amelie’s employee

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Amelie’s French Bakery and Café’s former flagship location in NoDa has been left understaffed after the Uptown location’s reopening last month. Longtime NoDa employees took positions at the uptown store for the promise of better pay with fewer hours of operation, as the store operates from 9am to 5pm six days a week to target Charlotte’s business and banking executives.

Due to this, employees still at the NoDa location are now expected to do the work that used to be covered by an additional employee or two. For example, front of house workers are now often asked to work in the bakery, kitchen, and wash dishes without appropriate compensation for that extra work. Cutting staff and forcing those who remain to do additional labor is a common tactic used by companies to increase profits without lowering production. 

With a workforce of queer, homeless, formerly incarcerated or those living in employment-dependent housing, Amelie’s targets some of the most vulnerable sections of the population; who, because of a lack of options, are often forced to put up with poor conditions and wages.

Despite being perceived by many in Charlotte as a progressive local ssmall business, Amelie’s employees in fact are paid $9 an hour on average. While Amelie’s pays its workers barely above minimum wage, they recently spent a rumored $45,000 on billboards to the disapproval of many employees who are regularly refused overtime and had hours reduced from 40 to 32 without advanced notice.

The recent reopening of the Uptown location has also left the NoDa store with a shortage of products. Unhappy customers have walked out of the store when the specific item they wanted was not in stock, ultimately resulting in a loss of tip money for employees.