Wisconsin Officials are seeking more than $1 million from a Burger King franchise operator after determining the company committed more than 1,600 child labor and wage violations affecting hundreds of minors across the state.

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) said Cave Enterprises Operations LLC, an Illinois-based company that operates 105 Burger King franchises in Wisconsin, committed at least 1,656 violations of the state’s child labor and wage laws during a two-year period ending in January 2025.

State officials described the case as the “largest determination of child labor and wage violations in modern Wisconsin history.”

According to DWD, the violations affected more than 600 children. The agency found that 593 14- and 15-year-old employees could start work without the required child labor permits, 627 younger employees worked shifts of six hours or more without legally required meal breaks, and hundreds of children under 16 worked outside the permitted hours or exceeded the limits for school-age workers.

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A Burger King location, seen in Wisconsin. (FOX 6/Fox News)

Gov. Tony Evers said the enforcement action reflects the state’s responsibility to protect minors from the workforce.

“Here in Wisconsin, we have a proud history of making sure workers are treated with dignity and respect, and that’s especially true when it comes to our children,” Evers said. “We have a responsibility to ensure that working children are protected from exploitation, predatory employer practices and from being subjected to dangerous or illegal working conditions.”

Evers, a Democrat, criticized Republican lawmakers, arguing they weakened child labor protections in the state, though he said his administration is committed to holding employers accountable.

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DWD’s Equal Rights Division opened its investigation after reviewing department records that showed 33 separate child labor and wage complaints against individual Cave Enterprises franchisees between 2020 and 2023. The agency reviewed child labor records from Jan. 1, 2023, to Jan. 25, 2025, before issuing a formal letter.

The Burger King logo is seen in a shopping mall. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)

According to the determination, Cave Enterprises must pay $237,437.29 in unpaid regular wages, overtime wages and penalty wages directly to the affected employees. DWD said workers are also entitled to liquidated damages of up to 200 percent of lost wages under state law.

In addition to wages owed to employees, DWD is seeking civil penalties of up to $828,000, calculated at $500 per violation, which would bring the company’s total potential exposure to more than $1 million.

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State officials said the high penalty reflects the widespread nature of the violations at multiple franchise locations, the large number of minors affected, violations of multiple statutory provisions and the company’s prior enforcement history involving child labor and wage issues at more than a dozen locations.

DWD said it has offered to settle the matter without legal action if Cave Enterprises pays both the wages owed to the workers and the civil penalty within 20 days of receiving the determination letters. The penalty determination letter will be issued independently of the wage determination.

Exterior view of a Burger King fast food restaurant in Danville, Pennsylvania. (Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images/Getty Images)

If Cave Enterprises doesn’t make timely payments, DWD said it will pursue enforcement through Wisconsin. Department of Justiceand the final amount of the penalty would be determined by a court, if a judgment goes against the company.

State officials also ordered Cave Enterprises to immediately comply with Wisconsin’s child employment laws and related regulations, warning that the company could face additional penalties for any future violations.

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Cave Enterprises Operations LLC did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.