The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has found an operator of seven Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers franchise locations in Alabama guilty of violating child labor laws. The investigation revealed that 149 children under the age of 16 were allowed to work longer than legally permitted, and a 15-year-old employee was unlawfully allowed to operate a manual deep fryer.

According to a DOL news release, officials from the department’s Wage and Hour Division discovered that the franchise owner, Mark Houghton, had permitted these employees to work over three hours on a school day and after 7 p.m. These incidents occurred between the day after Labor Day and May 31, and after 9 p.m. between June 1 and Labor Day. Furthermore, it is against the law for children to use a fryer without an automatic device for lowering and raising its baskets.

Kenneth Stripling, Wage and Hour Division District Director in Birmingham, Alabama said, "Positive and safe first work experiences can allow young people to develop skills, earn money and learn what it means to be part of the labor force, but a job should never endanger a child’s well-being." He further added that "The Fair Labor Standards Act restricts the hours 14- and 15-year-olds can work and identifies dangerous jobs that are prohibited for workers under 18-years-old."

Houghton was fined $119,029 in civil penalties for allowing these violations at his seven Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers franchise locations as per the news release. Houghton operates two locations in Birmingham, along with one location each in Helena, Hoover, Jasper, Pell City and Tuscaloosa. In fiscal year 2023 alone, the DOL found child labor violations involving 5,792 children across the country. Over $8 million in fines were imposed related to these violations. Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, established in Wichita, Kansas in 2002, operates over 500 locations in 36 states and Canada.