Burger King's biggest franchisee, Carrols Restaurant Group, is cutting employees' pay by 10% amid the coronavirus outbreak. The cut affects everyone from executives to workers at its 1,000-plus fast-food locations.

Some fast-food workers have said they deserve hazard pay as stores remain open during the coronavirus outbreak and companies such as Target, Costco, and Amazon give workers raises.

"I'd rather that we just closed for a little while until things get figured out," an employee at a Carrols-owned Burger King told Business Insider. "Never have I felt a company has committed more injustice than today."

A Carrols representative confirmed that the 10% pay cut applied to everyone at the company, from in-store workers and cashiers to executives.

On Tuesday, after the publication of this article, Carrols chairman Dan Accordino announced the company was reversing its decision and that pay cuts would not apply to employees in restaurants.

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Burger King's biggest franchisee, Carrols Restaurant Group, is cutting workers' wages by 10% amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Carrols, which operates about 1,034 Burger King and 65 Popeyes locations, emailed employees on Monday to inform them of the pay cuts.

"One of the initiatives that we will be implementing is a temporary 10% pay reduction effective Monday March 30, 2020 from your gross pay," Jerry DiGenova, Carrols' vice president of human resources, wrote.

"This is subject to applicable state minimum wage laws," the email added. "This was a difficult decision to come to, but while this will impact each of us as individual employees of Carrols, it will help us collectively as the Carrols team during this time."

A Carrols representative confirmed that the 10% pay cut applied to everyone at the company, from in-store workers and cashiers to executives. A Burger King representative did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

'Never have I felt a company has committed more injustice than today'

An employee prepares an order for customers at Burger King. Reuters

Many companies are considering cost-cutting efforts amid the coronavirus outbreak, and the Harvard Business Review reported that many were considering layoffs.

An employee who works at a Burger King location owned by Carrols said that on top of the pay cut, he and other employees were having their hours cut. The worker spoke on condition of anonymity to speak freely; he provided pay stubs to Business Insider to verify his identity and employment.

"Most companies right now are paying their employees extra money for the hazardous conditions that being an 'essential employee' are putting them in," he told Business Insider. "While I am under no disillusion that I am an essential employee ... for some reason fast food has been labeled as such (even though our sales are already down 50%, and we are considered one of the busier restaurants in our district)."

Some employees at restaurants, deemed essential businesses in most states during the coronavirus outbreak, are demanding hazard pay during the coronavirus outbreak. More than two dozen workers who spoke with Business Insider voiced concerns that they could catch the coronavirus or spread it in their communities by going to work, but many said they lacked the financial security to quit their jobs.

A number of companies, including Target, Costco, and Amazon, have recently raised pay by $2 as they work to keep up with demand from panicked shoppers. On Friday, Starbucks announced that all workers would be paid whether they go to work or not, with employees who continue to work earning an extra $3 per hour.

"The argument they use is, 'Well it keeps everyone working as long as possible,'" the Carrols employee working at Burger King said. "The sad truth is that none of the employees want to be working right now. I live with two parents that are in their sixties. I have a history of asthma and problems breathing. I'd rather that we just closed for a little while until things get figured out."

"Never have I felt a company has committed more injustice than today when I read this email," he added. "The expectations that we are being held to are incredibly foolish."

Update: On Tuesday, Carrols Restaurant Group CEO and chairman Dan Accordino said that he had "made a mistake" in a message to employees shared with Business Insider.

"Based on all of the feedback that I have received we will not be reducing any hourly wages at the management nor team member level," Accordino said. "The 10% reduction will only apply to above restaurant level employees and the corporate staff. Even though we are experiencing significant sales declines, I have decided that we will become more efficient in other areas. As part of the other areas that I will focus on, I will personally accept no compensation for a 3 month period."

"At Carrols, we will always be a family and more so during these difficult times," Accordino continued. "I have been here for 48 years and I respect your feedback; both positive and negative. I heard you and I made a mistake that we will now rectify before any action has taken place."