"Myself and three other employees walked out on December 17th due to non payment," said former assistant general manager, Kristina Cesnick, who alleges she and three other former workers are owed a combined $9,800.

"We are still hearing the same thing, 'we're working on it,' and it actually got to the point where they quit responding completely."

This also comes as Dickey's Barbecue Pit owners John and Erie Batie, who currently operate the franchise through their company Sound Factory Systems Enterprises, are being sued by the property's landlord, Levin Management Corporation, for $20,504.47 due to "past due rent, common area maintenance, and real estate taxes," according to Erie County court documents.

For now, the franchise sits temporarily closed.

"We've been talking with the landlord, the landlord is still interested in preserving the restaurant," said Jeff Gruber, Senior Vice President of Franchise Relations for Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants Inc., which owns the Dickey's franchise. "We've been talking to franchise prospects of taking over the business and getting it reopened."

Gruber says they will pay the former employees what they're allegedly owed.

"What was being reported to me is that all but three of the former employees have been paid at this point, and there's still a couple that are outstanding," continued Gruber. "We'll validate that, confirm that, and make sure that those folks get the money that they're owed... We are prepared to make it right with the former employees, and then handle our business with the soon-to-be former franchisees ourselves if that's what it takes, but we're going to make sure they get paid."

"I already knew that we had corporate support, it's just that we all also knew that they weren't able to pay us directly, you know?," said Cesnick when she heard the news. "That's amazing though, if they're able to do that."