Coffee Chain's Hiring Of 'Bubbly, Attractive' Teens Target Of Federal Probe

A local coffee chain, known for its bubbly, attractive female staff in pink shirts, is being investigated by federal officials for possible age and race discrimination, and the chain is complaining that the probe is a "witch hunt."

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has been quietly probing Marylou's hiring practices for nearly a year, examining reams of job applications and interviewing management and current employees of the 29-store chain about workers' gender, age, race and body type, the Boston Herald reports, citing comments from the company.