Guzman y Gomez bombshell as Australia’s favorite Mexican quick meals restaurant is rocked by bombshell allegations concerning the REAL backstory of its brand – and exec’s remark: ‘We do not give T-Shirts to fats individuals’

Former Guzman y Gomez consultants have accused the Mexican quick meals chain’s management crew of racism, ageism and alleged that one in every of its advertising supervisor as soon as informed workers ‘we do not give T-shirts to fats individuals’.

The bombshell allegations towards the corporate, which was based in Sydney in 2006 by Steven Marks and Robert Hazan, have surfaced in a current court docket submitting in California on the model’s failed plan to increase in the US.

A declare for the equal of $152million was made towards Guzman y Gomez by a gaggle of quick meals executives, together with Greg Creed, who provided consulting companies with the corporate.

Mr Creed and his crew alleged within the submitting that Guzman y Gomez’s management crew was ‘prejudiced towards people over 40’.

On the opening of a retailer in Illinois in January this 12 months, an organization advertising officer allegedly stated ‘there have been too many elderly individuals coming in’, and that ‘they don’t seem to be a terrific face of the model’, the court docket submitting stated.

Mr Marks additionally stated ‘I am glad to serve them however I need to see younger individuals within the restaurant’.

Guzman y Gomez was additionally making a gift of free promotional T-shirts on the retailer opening.

The advertising officer additionally allegedly stated ‘we do not give T-shirts to fats individuals’ within the presence of Mr Marks ‘who made no effort to right’.

Mr Marks additionally allegedly made discriminatory feedback about among the consulting crew’s ages, the submitting stated.

He allegedly informed the one marketing consultant who was underneath the age of 40 that he believed the others didn’t have ‘the vitality to take the model to the subsequent stage’.

The CEO additionally allegedly informed the identical marketing consultant he was seeking to rent workers of their mid-30s who have been ‘energetic’.

A difficulty was additionally raised concerning the quick meals chain’s brand which incorporates the faces of two males purporting to be Mr Guzman and Mr Gomez, which have been supposedly named after the fathers of Mr Marks’ childhood buddies.

The crew of consultants had suggested the brand ‘could also be thought-about racist’ in US markets.

‘Mr Marks finally admitted that the complete story behind the historical past of GYG’s model and brand was utterly fabricated and false,’ the submitting learn.

‘He by no means met his accomplice in New York; the names and pictures used weren’t primarily based on his purported Mexican buddies as a younger baby who impressed his love of Mexican delicacies; he by no means ate dinner on the house of a Mexican household; the pictures utilized by GYG US have been merely drawings created to culturally applicable Mexican delicacies solely for a advertising profit in Australia.

‘Even the names ‘Guzman’ and ‘Gomez’ have been utterly fabricated for advertising profit.’

The lawsuit was settled this month with the equal of a $1.5million fee to the six complainants, together with the buyback of shares they bought one-and-a-half-years in the past.

Guzman y Gomez stated of their 17-year historical past no buyer had ever made a grievance.

‘GYG, Fuller 74 LLC and the opposite events settled on a confidential foundation and as such we’re unable to remark additional on the claims,’ the corporate stated.

‘GYG moved to dismiss the claims as a result of we didn’t agree that they’d any benefit. Recognising the funding of time, cash and distractions concerned in pursuing litigation in the US, the events made the choice to maneuver on and settle the claims.’

Guzman y Gomez additionally stated Mr Marks has all the time acknowledged the faces of the brand have been primarily based on the reminiscences of the fathers of his and Mr Hazan’s childhood buddies.

The corporate stated whereas the names and faces ‘might not precisely resemble these individuals’s likeness’, the individuals and story of the corporate’s inception was actual.