According to a new class action lawsuit, food servers at Crave American Kitchen & Sushi Bar restaurants have accused their employer of failing to pay the minimum wage.
The plaintiffs – food servers, waiters, waitresses, bartenders, and other similarly situated employees – allege that, in addition to their tipped job duties, they were required to perform non-tipped work before and after their shifts, including:
- Setting up and preparing banquet rooms for parties and events hosted at the restaurant;
- Brewing coffee and preparing tea;
- Turning on appliances and kitchen equipment;
- Replenishing condiments and cutting and preparing fruit;
- Cleaning areas of the restaurant;
- Stocking glasses, plates, and silverware in the kitchen; and
- Working after the closing time of the restaurant for between thirty minutes and two hours following the close of the restaurant.
The plaintiffs claim they should have been paid minimum wage for the non-tipped work, and that their employer’s failure to do so constitutes a violation of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
Wage abuse in the restaurant industry deprives hard-working employees of their hard-earned compensation. The attorneys in Sommers Schwartz’s Wage & Hour Litigation Group are currently investigating complaints of wrongfully withheld wages and overtime pay at additional Crave locations, and encourage anyone with information to please contact us today.
Jason J. Thompson
Jason Thompson is a nationally board certified trial attorney and co-chairs Sommers Schwartz’s Complex Litigation Department. He has a formidable breadth of litigation experience, including class action and multidistrict litigation (MDL), and practices nationwide in both state and federal courts.
