A growing San Antonio bakery chain is paying a steep price after federal investigators found a 13-year-old working illegally, a 15-year-old working overnight, and adult employees missing overtime pay. The findings involve three La Panadería Bakery & Café locations and more than $45,000 in back wages and penalties. The largest single number is a $25,706 child-labor fine.
According to News 4 San Antonio, the U.S. Department of Labor found that the bakery employed a 13-year-old who was too young to legally work and allowed a 15-year-old to work overnight shifts. Investigators also found that one employee was not paid for two overnight shifts at the La Cantera location, while workers who clocked hours at multiple cafés were not properly paid overtime.
Three San Antonio Cafés Were Cited
The findings span La Panadería sites in downtown San Antonio, the La Cantera area and along Broadway. That makes the case more than a single scheduling mistake: investigators identified problems involving hiring age, work hours and payroll practices across a multi-location operation.
For workers moving between restaurants, overtime is calculated across the workweek rather than reset every time someone clocks in at a different address. The investigation’s findings suggest that the bakery’s cross-location scheduling and payroll systems failed to keep up with the way employees were being assigned shifts.
Why The Teen Work Hours Matter
Federal law generally bars children under 14 from most nonagricultural jobs. Workers who are 14 or 15 can hold certain jobs, but their hours are restricted outside school time and they generally cannot work after 7 p.m., or after 9 p.m. during the summer period, according to the Labor Department’s youth-employment guidance.
That is why the overnight-shift finding involving a 15-year-old is significant even apart from the unpaid wages. The rules are meant to keep young workers’ jobs from interfering with school, sleep and basic safety, while employers remain responsible for checking ages and scheduling minors within the law.
The Findings Land During A Major Expansion
La Panadería was already in the middle of a major growth push when the labor findings surfaced. Hoodline reported in February that the company had five San Antonio-area locations and plans for two more in 2026, potentially bringing the chain to seven cafés.
That expansion does not prove the violations were caused by growth, but it does raise the stakes for consistent labor compliance. For La Panadería, the next test is whether its workplace systems can expand as quickly as its pan dulce empire: minors must be hired at lawful ages, scheduled within lawful hours and paid correctly when they work across the city.
