U.S. labor officials recovered nearly $53,000 in wages a Bowling Green restaurant illegally withheld from its employees.
The U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, ordered Hibachi Grill & Supreme Buffet, on the 31-W Bypass, to pay $52,805 to 33 employees after the restaurant withheld hourly wages for staff members who work for tips.
Restaurants and other businesses that have employees who work for tips are required to pay those employees at least $2.13 per hour.
In cases like this, where the company does not pay any hourly wages, the government does not give the employer credit for the tips the employees received and requires the company to pay back the full federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour for every hour the employees worked without wages, according to a release from the Dept. of Labor.
Additionally, the restaurant did not pay overtime to employees, but instead paid kitchen helpers, cooks, and dishwashers a flat salary regardless of the number of hours the employees worked. Which, according to officials, was many times not as much as the employee would have made if paid minimum wage.
The restaurant was also found to have numerous record keeping violations.
“These essential workers deserve to take home every penny of their hard-earned wages and this case shows clearly how quickly back wages can accumulate when employers fail to follow federal wage laws,” Karen Garnett-Civils, director of the Wage and Hour Division’s Louisville district, said in the release. “When Hibachi Grill shorted its workers’ pay, their illegal actions gave them an unfair advantage over restaurant employers who play by the rules. The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to enforcing the law so that employees keep what they earn, and that employers compete on a level playing field.”
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
