Owner of more than 20 Dunkin’ franchises in Eastern Mass., staffing firms fined $1.6M over employment law violations

A Boston-area Dunkin’ franchise operator and two staffing agencies have been ordered to pay a combined $1.46 million after allegedly violating Massachusetts wage and labor laws, officials announced Thursday. 

The citations were issued against Northern Management Group LLC (NMG) and its managers Jigar Patel, Nikul Patel, and Nilesh Patel, the Attorney General’s Office said in a press release. NMG operates more than 20 Dunkin’ franchises in Eastern Massachusetts. 

The citations also target staffing agencies D and J Services Group LLC (D&J) and Prime Management Services Corp., along with their manager, Daylon Oliveira, officials said. 

The companies must pay restitution to 100 workers and the Commonwealth, according to the AG’s office.

In 2023, NMG contracted with D&J and later with Prime to hire workers for key positions at Dunkin’ locations, including store managers, coffee makers, and bakers, officials said. 

Investigators found that some workers were classified as independent contractors even though they worked under NMG’s direction and filled primary roles at Dunkin’ franchises. The AG’s office said the misclassification violated state wage and hour laws and deprived workers of employment protections. 

The investigation also revealed that, between August 2023 and August 2025, the companies “routinely failed to pay earned wages to employees within the mandated six-day time frame,” per the AGO. 

Workers were often not paid for travel between Dunkin’ locations, which the AG’s office said was another violation of state wage and hour laws.  

“Workers deserve timely paychecks and the protections afforded to them under state law. Anything less is unacceptable,” AG Andrea Joy Campbell said. “My office is dedicated to protecting all workers across the Commonwealth, and we will continue to ensure employers comply with our wage and labor laws.” 

The staffing agencies were also cited under the state’s Temporary Workers Right to Know Law, which requires agencies to explain the job they will be doing.

The AG’s office said it specifically requested copies of those job orders during its investigation, but Prime and D&J did not produce them, resulting in additional state law violations. 

The companies that received the fines could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.