The National Post reports in its Friday edition that two 10-year-olds are among 300 children who worked at McDonald's restaurants illegally, a Labor Department probe of franchisees in Kentucky found. An Associated Press dispatch to the Post reports that the agency found the 10-year-olds received little or no pay at a McDonald's in Louisville, the Labor Department said. The franchisee for the Louisville store was among three McDonald's franchisees fined $212,000 (U.S.) in total by the department. Louisville's Bauer Food LLC, which operates 10 McDonald's locations, employed 24 minors under the age of 16 to work more hours than legally permitted, the agency said. The agency said the children sometimes worked as late as 2 a.m., but were not paid. "Below the minimum age for employment, they prepared and distributed food orders, cleaned the store, worked at the drive-thru window and operated a register," the department said, adding that one child also was allowed to operate a deep fryer, which is a prohibited task for workers under 16. Franchise owner-operator Sean Bauer said the two 10-year-olds cited in the Labor Department's statement were visiting their parent, a night manager, and were not employees.