The owner of more than 100 Burger King franchises in Wisconsin has been ordered to pay more than $1 million in fines after officials found over 1,500 violations of child labor laws.
Cave Enterprises, LLC, has been ordered by Wisconsin officials to pay $237,000 to child workers and a $828,000 penalty to the state, Fox 6 Now reported.
Wisconsin officials launched an investigation into Cave Enterprises, LLC, after 33 separate complaints were filed from 2023 to 2025, alleging violations of child labor and wage laws, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Cave Enterprises, which operates 105 franchises of the fast food chain across the state, was found to have violated Wisconsin child labor laws at least 1,656 times.
At least 600 kids were involved in the company’s infractions.
“It was still shocking even to our investigators to see that out of 105 locations around the state, violations were found at 103 locations, involving over 600 minor workers,” said Amy Pechacek, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Secretary.
“This is the largest case that we have seen of youth working violations in modern history. We have quite honestly not seen anything to the depth and breadth of what this audit uncovered,” Pechacek added.
The state says it found that 593 children ages 14 and 15 were allowed to work at the Burger King franchises without a child labor work permit, which is required by the state.
The investigation also found that 627 teenage employees worked shifts of six hours or longer without a meal break, violating state law.
The state found violations at locations in Menomonee Falls, Oak Creek, Oconomowoc, Waukesha, West Bend, West Allis, Kenosha, Beaver Dam and Racine, according to Fox.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, blamed Republican lawmakers for eroding child labor laws in the state.
“After years of Republican lawmakers working to get rid of Wisconsin’s basic child labor law protections, I’m proud my administration is working to do the opposite by making sure bad actors are held accountable for taking advantage of kids in the workplace,” Evers said in a statement.
The Independent has contacted Cave Enterprises for comment.
