Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Co. in Midtown closes indefinitely due to COVID-19 outbreak

A staff coronavirus outbreak due to what employees allege is an unsafe working environment has led to the indefinite closure of a community-beloved Midtown coffee shop.

Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Co.'s cafe on Woodward Avenue has been closed since Friday and, in an email to staff on Sunday night, president and founder Greg Miracle announced the location would be closed indefinitely.

The announcement follows an outbreak of COVID-19 among staff and demands from employees to establish safety protocols to ensure their health, including providing personal protective equipment and implementing quarantine guidelines. The staff, consisting of 13 baristas and two managers, work in close proximity to community members, and frequent customers include DMC hospital staff, which is situated across the avenue from the cafe.

"When I started working there, there was not even the slightest communication on anything regarding COVID pandemic. It was kind of like they just chose to ignore it," said one employee, who has worked at the cafe since July and chose to remain anonymous for fear of retribution. "We're all very careful and intelligent people who care about the community and we kind of took it into our own hands to wear masks and clean up where we saw fit."

In an email to management after closing shop Thursday, employees said they will not be returning to work until all remaining employees — who hadn't already tested positive for COVID-19 — secured negative PCR tests. As staffing was bare bones due to employees catching coronavirus, staff said they have had to take on added responsibilities and they would be willing to negotiate working while awaiting test results with hazard pay.

In a statement to the Free Press Monday, Miracle said the flagship cafe will be closed until it is deemed safe to reopen and all other locations, including one in Florida, will remain open.

"Great Lakes Coffee has followed all CDC protocols in its business operations and in managing this outbreak, and has provided access to free Covid rapid tests for its staff to prevent further exposures," the statement reads. "However, in response to fears expressed by staff members and due to the close working spaces unique to its very busy Midtown location, the company has decided to close this cafe temporarily to assure employee safety."

The coffee company has yet to post any alerts on social media to inform the community of the outbreak and closure as of Monday afternoon.

Employees say that despite asking, they were not provided any PPE, extended social distancing requirements, or any form of hazard pay. In terms of navigating cases among staff, employees say management did not alert them when coworkers tested positive — leaving them to manually trace exposure.

"What the company hasn't realized is that they have such a great team and no matter what we're going through and dealing with management, we never put that on the customers and we want everybody to feel safe and welcome," the employee said. "We do all really care about everybody that works there and we're all involved in the community in one way or another."

In response to employee concerns Thursday night, the company's director of operations Chuck Palumbo assured them that CDC business guidelines are being followed "emphatically," that protocols have been relayed to management to pass on to baristas and that rapid tests have been secured and will be available. Addressing employees' desire to await PCR test results before returning to work, Palumbo said the email will be accepted as a resignation for those who do not arrive for their scheduled shifts.

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"In response to the concerns and demands outlined in your email, we first and foremost understand every aspect of this challenging and unprecedented time for everyone. We have been extremely appreciative and have done our best to acknowledge each of the team members who have given additional support in the absence of others," Palumbo wrote in the email. "We are grateful for all your hard work, diligence, and commitment to taking care of our guests."

Michigan is in the midst of its fourth coronavirus surge, with the omicron variant running rampant through the state and driving hospitals to a breaking point. Testing efforts in Detroit have been reignited in light of the rise in case rates, which has reached 101,079 confirmed cases as of Friday and continues to lead Wayne County.

A general lack of frequent communication with management or formalized cleaning and upkeep procedures at the Midtown cafe fostered an environment of chaos, employees who spoke to the Free Press under the condition of anonymity said. This has led to frustration, stress, and financial instability.

"I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know how I'm going to pay any of my medical bills or my house bills," said another employee, who added that she contracted COVID-19 while at work and is currently quarantining. "I was living paycheck to paycheck. It was how I got food on my table. And now I have COVID."

Employees who did not wish to resign did not receive any response from management, they said, and are unsure whether they are still employed.

"We hear your concerns, and given the tight workspaces at the brew counter and in our extremely small kitchen, we see no protective measures by which we can effectively prevent exposure between employees and therefore assure your individual safety," Miracle said in the Sunday email announcing the indefinite closure. "Due to these compact work spaces which are unique to the Midtown work environment, effective social distancing throughout a work shift in the face of this extremely contagious Covid variant is virtually impossible."

This overall feeling of confusion has left employees — many of who are students — feeling undervalued and insecure, and unsure of whether they'll be able to pay their expenses for the upcoming semester.

"It's extremely disrespectful and it makes you feel not even valued ... because we're asking for basic things to protect our health and they're treating us as if we're replaceable like we don't matter," an employee said. "They don't even care about us on a basic human level that you should show towards anybody that you know, especially people who are working for you and building the face of your company.

"I'm just completely disgusted by everything, everything that they've reacted to."

Employees are hoping management will respond to their demands of having a professional cleaning of the cafe, providing PPE, hazard pay, and implementing guidelines for testing and quarantining — and, above all, an apology for disregarding their health and lack of respect.

Contact Miriam Marini: mmarini@freepress.com

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