Restaurant Worker News Blog

“Real Housewife” Sued for Wage Theft at Her Restaurant

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“Real Housewives of New Jersey” reality television celebrity, Teresa Aprea, has been sued for stealing wages and tips at her Little Italy restaurant, Angelo’s of Mulberry Street. Attorneys for waiters, bartenders, cooks, chefs, bakers, and other employees at the restaurant … Continued

Seasons 52 Restaurants Hit With Age Discrimination Lawsuit

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Seasons 52, a national restaurant chain and one of the Darden restaurant brands, engaged in a nationwide pattern or practice of age discrimination in hiring hourly employees, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed in … Continued

Lawsuit Against Pat O’Brien’s Bar for Pay Violations Granted Collective Action Status by Federal Judge

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The Times-Picayune reported yesterday that a case against Pat O’Brien’s, a popular bar in New Orleans’ French Quarter, was granted collective action status on February 4th by a Louisiana Federal Judge. The decision by U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey … Continued

Five Tips To Avoid Restaurant Pay Lawsuits

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In handling over 100 restaurant pay lawsuits, I have seen common themes play out, whether that restaurant is a mom and pop take out place or a high end fine dining establishment. From the perspective of someone who has collected … Continued

Wage Board Recommends Increase to Tipped Minimum Wage For New York Restaurant Workers

Tipped restaurant workers in New York will receive an increase of the “tipped minimum wage” from $5 per hour to $7.50 per hour if the recommendations of a Wage Board are approved by the Acting Commissioner of Labor.  The Wage … Continued

No-tip Restaurants Are Gaining Traction

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No-tipping policies at restaurants is a growing experiment across the country. Customers at Girard Brasserie in Philadelphia receive a note attached to their bills stating, “Tipping is not necessary.” Restaurant Riki, a Japanese style pub in New York City, has … Continued

Popular Chef in Brooklyn Sued for Stealing Wages and Firing Employee Who Complained About Discrimination

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Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, known for sitting 18 customers around a kitchen counter while providing them with 15 plate prix-fixe meals, has been sued for failing to pay minimum wages, overtime and spread-of-hours pay, for stealing employees’ tips, and … Continued

“Top Chef” Judge Tom Colicchio Sued for Wage Payment Violations

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Tom Colicchio’s ‘Wichcraft sandwich restaurants have been hit with a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court, claiming that the restaurants failed to pay minimum wage and overtime pay, and misappropriated workers’ tips. Attorneys representing a group of baristas, bartenders, porters, delivery … Continued

Have We Reached the Tipping Point for Tips?

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Have we reached the tipping point for tips will be the topic of a New York Hospitality Alliance conference on February 2. Lou Pechman founder of waiterpay.com, will be one of the panelists, along with restaurant industry leaders and restaurant … Continued

Nationwide Certification Granted in Wage Theft Case Against T.G.I. Friday’s Restaurants

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A nationwide wage theft class action against T.G.I. Friday’s has been given a green light by a New York Federal Judge. In a decision yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Analisa Torres, conditional collective certification was granted to servers, bartenders, … Continued

Wolfgang Puck Settles Wage Theft Claim For $1.7 Million

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Wolfgang Puck has agreed to pay $1.7 million to some 900 former and current restaurant employees to settle an unpaid overtime lawsuit against Spago Beverly Hills, Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill in Los Angeles, and Chinois in Santa Monica, California. … Continued

Mariah Carey Sued for Overtime Pay Violations

Mariah Carey has been sued by her former personal assistant for overtime violations. The pop singer will have to face charges in Manhattan federal court alleging that the singer has failed to pay overtime wages required both by the Fair … Continued

Tafolino’s Mexican Restaurant Sued By Former Dishwashers

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Former dishwashers at Tafolino’s Mexican Restaurant in Colorado have filed a collective action complaint against Tafolino’s, claiming that the restaurant has failed to pay minimum and overtime wages, as required both by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the … Continued

Hooters Workers Sue for Wage Theft

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Waitresses and bartenders at a Hooters Restaurant in Alabama filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that Hooters violated the minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) when it paid employees a reduced tipped minimum wage of … Continued

New York State Minimum Wage Rises to $8.75

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Effective December 31, 2014, the New York State minimum wage rose to $8.75 per hour and the overtime rate for workers making the minimum wage rose to $13.13 per hour. This increase is the second in a series of three … Continued

Brasserie Ruhlmann Settles Off-the-Clock Wage Theft Lawsuit for $250,000

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Waiters, waitresses and other employees who worked at Brasserie Ruhlmann will share in a $250,000 settlement approved by a New York federal court. Attorneys for the restaurant workers claimed that the restaurant, located at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, failed to … Continued

Congressman Michael Grimm Pleads Guilty to Restaurant Tax Violations

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U.S. Representative Michael Grimm pleaded guilty on December 23, 2014 to a single count of tax fraud for aiding in the filing of a false tax return related to his former Upper East Side restaurant, Healthalicious. The 20-count indictment against … Continued

Water’s Edge Restaurant Sued for Overtime Pay and Spread of Hours Pay

Servers and bussers have been denied overtime pay and spread of hours pay at Water’s Edge Restaurant in Long Island City, according to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court. The lawsuit against Water’s Edge Restaurant claims that the restaurant … Continued

Supreme Court Rules that Waiting Time for Security is Not Compensable

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Waiterpay.com founder Louis Pechman was quoted in a Wall Street Journal article concerning the Supreme Court’s decision in Integrity Staffing Solutions, Inc. v. Busk. The Supreme Court held that Amazon warehouse workers were not entitled to pay for the time … Continued

McDonald’s Settles Time Shaving Lawsuit

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A class action wage theft lawsuit brought by approximately 2,300 employees of various McDonald’s Restaurants owned by Crawford Restaurant Group in upstate New York. The wage theft lawsuit, which was filed by the restaurant workers in 2013, alleged that McDonald’s … Continued