About Kneads Bakeshop......

When most people think of Kneads Bakeshop in Baltimore, they picture fresh bread, perfect pastries, and a cozy neighborhood café. But for many of us who’ve worked there, the reality behind the counter is far less charming. It's Hell.

This isn’t just one person’s bad day at work , it’s a pattern. Over and over, employees (past and present) have shared the same stories: mistreatment, discrimination, mismanagement, and even wage and tax violations.

A Bakery With a Rotten Core

For Black staff members especially, the experience has often been toxic. Many of us were fired without cause. Some were given incorrect W2 forms that delayed tax refunds by months. Promotions went to less qualified people who were “connected” to ownership, while experienced Black staff were overlooked.

Then there’s the culture. Juneteenth wasn’t acknowledged, but other holidays were. Safety concerns were brushed aside, including when employees raised alarms about hiring people with histories of harassment or violence. And if the person causing problems happened to be close to management? Nothing was done.

What We Saw and Lived Through

Here’s just a glimpse of what employees have testified to:

• Wage & tax problems that caused financial harm.

• Discrimination in promotions and day to day treatment.

• Unsafe environments, where harassment was tolerated.

• Cultural exclusion that made Black employees feel unwelcome.

• Empty promises about healthcare and benefits.

• Sky high turnover, fueled by bad management and zero accountability.

Some of us came in excited to work for a place that seemed fresh and community focused. We left feeling disrespected, unsafe, and burned out. As one former coworker put it: “You get experience here, but it costs you your dignity.”

Why We’re Speaking Out Now

We’re sharing this because the issues at Kneads aren’t unique they reflect bigger problems in Baltimore’s food service industry. Too many restaurants and cafés thrive on a polished image while workers quietly suffer behind the scenes.

By bringing our experiences to the Baltimore public, we’re hoping for more than sympathy. We want accountability. We want safe, inclusive, and fair workplaces for everyone in this city. And we want to make sure that when you spend your money at a local business, you know the truth about how they treat the people who make it run.

Because behind every croissant and cappuccino, there’s a worker who deserves better.

Below are the testimonies from those workers. (All testimonies are alleged)

“I was an employee for almost a a year with kneads. On multiple occasions I wasn’t paid and had to prove that I worked the hours before I received the money owed to me. I also felt as though women and men of color weren’t given the same opportunities to grow with into the company. Complaints and concerns often fell on death ears. We were also told that the only way to receive a raise or grow within the company was to learn Spanish because 90% of the company will speak only Spanish soon.” -Kneads Employee

“I started out as one of the first hires before Kneads even opened to the public (18/hr) this job was the hardest I've ever worked in a cafe and consumed all of my spare time. Management were either creeps or talked so much shit so loudly and to anyone they could say it to, the rumors would come back to you. I've had my character torn down by false rumors to this day I believe Kneads bakeshop believes is true. I've experienced sexual harassment, gender discrimination and pay discrimination based on gender. Was told my multiple managers they had my eyes on me for a management/supervisor position and wanted me to work and present as such until I got a promotion. Never got the promotion after a whole year of being as professional as possible and they told me they were docking my pay to 16/hr because "we don't do as much" Come to find out none of the men employed ever got their pay docked down. Management has looked over very hard working women to promote lazy working men.” -Kneads Employee

“During my time at kneads I witnessed so much discrimination.

There was a Hispanic sanitation manager and a white head chef. They both talked to and treated their employees horribly. The Hispanic manager was the only one fired while the head chef quit on his vacation.

There was a radio stolen in the bakery, 2-3 black employees in sanitation got suspended, one fired. No hispanic or white employees were blamed.

The new head chef kept hiring Hispanic cooks over black chefs because “they are cheaper” but the quality of our food went down and the time we waited for it went up.

There was a white woman bartender that was nasty to everyone and giving the bartenders a hard time, and a lead black male barista who spoke to his team disrespectfully.

They made up a story about the black man and fired him while the white woman worked until she quit.

I’ve seen white bartenders and servers who nodded off during service because they were high, but black employees fired for being in the bathroom or in the car too long.

There is no late policy at Kneads, there’s one in the handbook but they don’t follow it. They fired their best male barista for being late, but the white managers can come in late everyday.

They celebrate every federal holiday there except Juneteenth. The black staff had to celebrate amongst ourselves like we were back in slavery times. The GM said “we don’t celebrate that where I’m from”

He’s from Miami…the biggest Juneteenth celebrations are in Miami. They have Yacht, park, and street parties there. He should’ve just said HE doesn’t celebrate it.

Lastly, I watched them promote a white man who is related to the owners and had no experience as a manager, over a black woman who was there before him and was over qualified for the position. That was the beginning of the end for me. A very racist company if you ask me.” - Kneads Employee

“As a former employee that has worked for that company since before the doors was open I have witnessed a lot of gaslighting a lot of people in higher management taking things from the company as far as stealing store items I've witnessed people above team members come in late and lie about the time they were there but it didn't matter because they were on salary and they were never going to get caught I witnessed people of not African-American descent come in early and leave late while sitting upstairs on the clock but I was the one that got terminated because I had someone clock me out I knew all along they were trying to get me out of there because I spoke up for people that didn't speak up me in a select few others that used to work there because if you don't bow your head down if you don't shut up if you don't take getting belittled at work or talk to like a piece of trash then they look to give you out of there when I say I went above and beyond I've done catering I put away orders I've made orders I've done dishes I have regrew I have worked saute I have worked cold side I have done catering I've done any and everything that they have asked me and as a female African-American worker that is work that needs I've never been more disgusted with how a restaurant was ran in my life I even told them how I felt about them having a rapist on their payroll everybody knew what this man was charged with but they still getting fat kept trying to get me to talk to this person and have a conversation with this person I told them I said hi to him I don't see why I need to have a full-out conversation because of my triggers and what I went through and my childhood they made this man feel untouchable they made this man feel like he was one of them I asked him what's with all the fires and he simply said the Hispanic people are better and they get them for cheap and that was made by a comment from a manager who goes by the name of ____ _____ he was working alongside _____ who felt the same way meanwhile these workers have came in late came in early stole food from out the walking stole food stole thanks for marketplace and nothing has happened you have managers stealing whether it's little novelties from the marketplace or just food from out the walking and just taking it because they have that title you have an executive pastry chef his name is _____his last name starts with an s who yells and and belligerently talks to people any type of way on the floor in front of everybody talking to them like they're a piece of trash it goes on through every department and nothing happens nothing gets handled nobody takes a step back and goes hey these are humans too me alongside a few others feel as though we were unfairly fired for the grounds of people that you have going above and beyond you would keep the people that don't do their job that eat on the line and then touch customers food that's still out the store then don't go above and beyond there just there to get a chance you have people like me I've lost my mother I recently lost my dog my emotional support animal and all the while I still came to work I still was on time I still did everything I was supposed to do and this is the end result of it all.” Kneads Employee

“While working at Kneads, in it's stressful disrespectful lying should of been shut down dirty restaurant, I have experience whites with their they are the boss attitude and one Hispanic boss who only stuck up for his own, belittle and degrade ppl including me at times telling the blacks no playing or talking of any kind because this isn't a happy place, just work and go home. To telling us, the blacks, that the Hispanics are better than us, while the Hispanics laugh, joke, and eat on the line and also steal time.

You have head of pastry yell at employees on the floor, this place has no respect for it's workers. U have the favorite ones coming in late or early which is stealing time and not a word was said. People steal products, nothing is done, give out things that should not be given out that has to be paid for.

Overworking and underpaying are the true hard workers. I personally have suffered mental health issues working in that place, giving my all and nothing but a “you’re fired” to show for it nobody leads by example they allowed a man his name is ______ walk down the line and get in a woman's face then some have also seen this man not work, We just found out he’s a 1st degree rapist not too long ago. Threw a trash can at a female working here. It has been hard and unfair even if u experience a lost like I have, my only parent left my mother they don’t care business as usual I just wish they treated ppl and talked to ppl better but I Know how companies like this go” -Kneads Employee

“When you felt like an outcast and being discriminated. When I first started working with Kneads I was excited for a better opportunity for myself and to learn more. They were about a month into opening when I got hired. I was hired by a Chef who no longer works there anymore because of a person who lied and wanted to have the “power” of being in charge. I thought he, ____ _____ was going to be a cool decent person to work with until I stopped giving him the benefit of doubt. During the winter of 2023 going into 2024 of course business is going to start being slow. Hours got cut for most of the team, but we all still tried to get extra hours because we all have bills to pay and some of us like myself have kids to take care of. There were multiple times I’ve asked for a raise on and off. The answer I’d always get from him would be “Man fam i’m broke too i’m not getting paid enough either.” Mean while he’s bragged about getting a new car, buying a house with his then fiancée… That’s another story for another day. Not to be in others business I ask a few team members have they gotten a raise. And they have. They went from $20 a hour to maybe $22-23 a hour. While I was still getting paid $20 an hour, working hard, sometimes did more than others with no complaints and still received the same excuse. The “bosses” didn’t want to pay us more or he was too scared to even ask. He gave that energy time to time. Just so “they wouldn’t yell at him” As he would say they’d do sometimes. In the beginning it was per-say easy working in the pastry area. We had enough space to work and move around. Until we got more people on the team. It was hard to find space, it was hard to keep things organized and even clean sometimes. Some people on the team are clean and others just aren’t cause that’s how they live and it showed. Everyone behind the glass that customers see us through, we were having to take our own trash out to washing our own dishes. Sanitation team got short because they had the wrong person in charge. The sanitation manager at the time did what he wanted to do. He brought in his “own people” to clean instead of properly going through a hiring process. Time and time again the trash room would be piled up to where we couldn’t even open the door or walk through to place boxes and trash in their designated places. Nothing was or probably still isn’t organized in the back of the house. Other than that my real problem falls with me being discriminated of pregnancy! I worked my whole pregnancy up until 2 weeks before my due date. It was always a constant problem as to why I was sitting down in a chair. Meanwhile there was another employee who use to be a manager, she was pregnant the year before and nobody higher up had no problem with her sitting down in a chair. Now what’s the color of paper? And what’s the color of ink? Exactly! I felt as if I had to sneak and sit down or make it seem like I was just getting up from a 1 second sit down just so I didn’t have to hear ______ mouth from what his bosses told him. They had no problem playing “let’s pass the message.” Nothing was never said to the team or myself from their own mouths. It has always been messages passed around. It was sometimes hard to know if you were being lied to or if anyone was being honest. Sometimes some of us from the team including myself would go up to “the bosses” and have slight conversations or just to ask a question. It was nice but then you just never know if people put on a facade just cause. Before I left to go on maternity leave I made sure my paper work was all done and submitted as to constantly communicating with _______ when my last day was and when I came back. If you worked with _______ then you know he is very forgetful. You can say he has many dead brain cells…. And not just from a plant… Fast forward to me returning back to work November 6th 2024. I purposely sent ______ a text message mentioning that I come back to work and that I needed to talk to him and Chef Russell about my time change to my schedule. I also mentioned to him in the message the time I will be showing up to work. Of course there was no response. He is not good a communicator period. I show up coming ready to work. I have my uniform on and felt pretty much excited to be back at work. Even though I was 2 months postpartum. I then come out the locker room about to make my way downstairs. I see ______. As I thought it was going to be good timing cause I needed to talk to him anyway. By the way he looked, he looked scared and shocked as to why I was at work? He proceeded to say “oh you’re here why are you in uniform?” I was confused as to why he was saying that. Like he just didn’t know I left to go have a baby! So I say “You know I come back to work today, did you not read my text message?” He “thought” as if I was only coming at the time I said to just talk. And that’s not at all what I said in my message. With me knowing my rights and knowing the law I told him “well I'm on paper work so today is the day I return back to work.” He says “No I determine when you come back to work I never put you back on the schedule.” I was flabbergasted. I couldn’t believe he said that. I told him that’s NOT how that works. We sat in the meeting room to discuss. He was triggered I rolled my eyes at him. He says very sassy “Don’t roll your eyes at me.” I payed no mind to that. From what it sounded like to me. He made it seem like he was blaming me because he had to change the schedule around because it was a lot going on. They took on major orders they had no business taking on. And he was telling me this why? Im sorry, I went to go give birth to my baby! That couldn’t have mattered to him. All I wanted to do was to talk about the times I needed to change nothing more than that. I then leave after trying to talk to someone higher up, but they weren’t there. The next day I sent out an email to _____, the owner, HR, and another higher up. I got no response. They didn’t seem to care that someone they’ve hired had just discriminated a woman, A BLACK WOMAN of pregnancy. I didn’t feel heard from anyone. Not even HR. I had to continuously leave my new born with family just to not come to no conclusions. About a couple of months later I seen kneads changed their hours from 7am-7pm. At any point giving _____ could’ve reached out to me knowing the hours I was asking for. That never happened. He was bound to get me off the team for his own personal reasons i’m sure. ______ is intimidated by the talent that is on the pastry team and for sure has a problem with women period. He is a narcissistic, gaslighting, manipulator little boy he is no man. If only customers could be a fly on the wall they would be able to see how the team is treated. Any time he needed space to work at a station he would carelessly take over another team members space while they’re working and leave a mess afterwards. Everyone on the day shift team would at least have to clean up after him cause he “forgot.” This is what happened when you hire someone just for them to “take advantage” of a title. Not power. I refuse to work with someone who calls team members “his little minions!” _____ _____ has ABUSED the Kneads Handbook and I can guarantee you the owners and HR couldn’t care less. It shows. If the company wanted to be different like they say and have told us, things would be a lot different in the right way. It’s not and i’m sure it never will be. It’s understandable everyone needs a job, but it’s also important to have boundaries for yourself as an employee at ANY establishment/company. As well it’s important to know your rights man or woman! Stop letting Kneads and many other companies get away with the mental abuse as well sexual harassment these people are doing! They only care about the money instead of caring about the mental health, physical health, and the talent that helps bring THEIR DREAMS ALIVE! If you are reading this and you have a dream of your own, get out there and do it! Stop watching and making these people dreams come true. They don’t and won’t give credit when credit is OVERDUE! Thank you.” -Kneads Employee

“Around my first month there I witnessed a lot of things that were violation of the handbook. KEY thing is FRATERNIZING!!! Upon arriving bakery manager ______ known as _____ was in a very public relationship with an employee named ________. In clearly states in our employee handbook that fraternizing is a no no but the owner stood beside it saying “If I fire _____ then _____ will leave”. Another situation was ____ ____ was reported sending videos of his private area to _____ _____ , _____ laughed and said Why can’t managers just work in the bakery without talking to the females. I remember working with a night crew and a lady named ______ said to me and multiple other packaging and shipping crew that she was planning on stabbing another employee named June. Nothing was done everybody laughed. They targeted June as well that is a good person to reach out to. _____ the pastry manager sells weed and edibles he makes in the bakery, tells everybody how he takes speed. That’s all I have right now. But June is a great person to try to reach out to.” - Kneads Employee

"I was the lead bartender at Kneads from the time they opened until now. I was there before the liquor license. I had two carts and I had to figure out on my own how to serve customers using what I had. I often had to take from other stations, tools, fruits, syrups, because I did not have what I needed to operate. I would cart 30 bottles of liquor up and down the elevator every day because they had no safe place to put it. I begged them to keep the liquor downstairs with the bar but they wouldn’t let me. It wasn’t until they hired a bar manager and they allowed him to have a fridge and liquor.

When I was interviewed, I brought my recipes. I was told I would help create the drinks. When it was time to create I did, I did the best I could with the limited supply I had. I created a staple Expresso martini with a barista and the AGM. I created a menu with their ingredients and ideas.

A little later they hired another bartender, they allowed him immediately to change my recipes. I had to deal with that until he left them for a sister company.

I kept creating, I trained, I taught mixology. I worked with those two carts and two tables.

Often they wouldn’t get me the things that I asked for, so I would just buy them.

We had cocktails that I would just buy the garnish/ingredients for out of my own pocket because I didn’t want to wait for them.

I stayed and made sure everything was filled, stocked, cleaned. No one else did.

No one else will put the love and effort I put into that bar.

I had cocktail classes that sold out every time, the last one had an overflow of people. I didn’t take a single extra dime from them. I was told to have a cocktail class again for a group of lawyers. I was told over and over again that I would be paid. Pay day never came. I let go because I cared about them.

I went through a lot with this company

, the death of my parents and one in law.

I didn’t receive a card or flower from them.

I kept working through my grief.

I watched coworkers who were there last, get chosen to be lead and managers, over the ones who had been there.

They was a lot of favoritism and one manager mentioned racism.

The turn over is not good. I’ve met so many people over the last two years because they simply come and go.

They don’t follow the handbook and it’s a terrible handbook. One manager makes rules and the other one doesn’t follow them.

No structure at all.

But I loved this company, I treated that bar like it was my own. But they fired me over a customer complaint that I didn’t even get to read or know what was said. We all get customer complaints so I don’t understand how I would be fired for that? One employee got a whole video complaint made for them and they still work there.

I was never late, I rarely almost never called out, I showed up for them. I went above and beyond.

I cared about them but they didn’t care about me.

I’m angry

I’m heartbroken

And when Kneads closes for good I’m going to dance outside of the empty building. Update; an agency asked Kneads to prove there was a customer complaint, they could not. it was concluded their was no reason to fire me. ____ Them." - Me

“The communication between departments is awful, and the owners constantly make changes without bothering to tell the staff. No free meals, no raises, just vibes” -Kneads Employee

“Unfair treatment, racism under paid” Kneads Employee

“Briefly worked there before being let go without cause. Then received an incorrect W2. Reached out got it corrected. Never once an apology for their error. Then Kneads proceeded to send the incorrect W2 to IRS. This caused my tax return to be withheld for over a year. Reached out again after finding out they submitted the wrong W2. Still no apology. “- Kneads Employee

“Let’s talk about how Manager ____ ______ is currently talking and having sex with _____ _____ and the owner knows but doesn’t care after countless complaints. Let’s talk about _____ ______ Head baker got a ex floor employee pregnant when it’s a CLEAR fraternization clause in the contract. I vividly remember them blaming black people for smoking off the drop of a hat but ____ _____ Head Chef was trying to hand ____ _____ (manager) an edible at a restaurant party. ___ ______ even admitted to me one time on the matador that him , _____ , and ____ all took edibles and he was high and the owner knew. That place is not for black people with morals. ____ ____ for an example got pulled up for sending elicit photos to ____ ____ and _____ laughed at it and kept it moving that’s a manager and a floor employee. Every time something happens ____ text _____. _____ even told managers where he from they say the word nigga so he’ll say it to whomever and when confronted for calling a employee a “nigga” along side ____ ex general manager they fired the dude for checking him.” Kneads Employee

"Don’t ever work there low pay and management is trash.” Kneads Employee

“They have a convicted rapist on their kitchen staff who bragged about it to women! Saying yup I did it! Upper management protects him saying anyone who speaks about it will be reprimanded. This is even after women said the felt uncomfortable around him and he threatened and threw a trash can her.” Kneads Employee

“Do Better. Worst leadership I’ve ever experienced.” - Kneads Employee

"One of the biggest frustrations working at Kneads was how the chefs refused to let anyone use their own recipes even when you had experience, training, or ideas that could’ve genuinely improved the menu. There was no room for creativity or collaboration. If you tried to offer suggestions, you were shut down immediately or met with attitude. They brought some of us there for new ideas but it was clear they wanted a certain look and taste that didn’t really match the Baltimore aesthetic if you get what I mean. To make things worse, some of the recipes they decided on were downright bad either bland, not balanced, or just didn’t make sense from a culinary standpoint. But we were forced to serve them anyway and pretend like they were top tier. It was embarrassing at times, especially when regulars would give honest feedback and we couldn’t say what we really thought. The kitchen could’ve been a place for growth, but instead it was about control, ego, and pushing out food that didn’t reflect the talent on staff."-Kneads Employee

"Poor management.. new sous chef every 6 months Low pay Lack of hours ( will give you 25 hrs a week) Your part of an experiment..no management really know what's goin on ...they higher management that has never worked in the industry will scam you out of health care....their doctors are not even in area"-Kneads Employee

"No shade, but it really didn’t make sense to me that the owners of Kneads couldn’t even say hi to their employees. I was told they have social anxiety or something, but if you’re running a business, that just doesn’t cut it.

I get that growing up privileged might mean you miss some things socially, but at the end of the day, you’re in the real world and have to deal with people. One of them looked me dead in the eye at the host stand and walked right past me without saying a word. I felt so disrespected. I didn’t last long after that." -Kneads Employee