A barbecue restaurant in North Texas violated the law when it failed to pay its 910 workers more than $ 867,000 in tips and overtime, according to an April 22 press release from the US Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour District Director Jesus Valdez in Dallas.
Hard Eight BBQ is a North Texas chain first founded in 2003, with 6 locations, including one in Roanoke which lies roughly 20 miles north of Fort Worth.
According to the Labor Department, the restaurant at that location included managers in a tip pool in violation of federal law. “Managers are not tipped employees,” said Juan Rodriguez, the labor department’s acting regional director for public affairs.
Walmart starting pay range for new truck drivers is between $ 95,000 and $ 110,000 after wage increase
Feds slam Florida restaurant operator:Says it owes $ 118,000 to workers in pay, overtime violations
The company has since rectified the problem, Rodriguez said, removing managers from the tip pool and paying the owed overtime.
In a statement sent to USA TODAY, the restaurant chain’s executive director, Katie Gooch, said the company acted quickly in response to the payment concerns.. “We learned about the new rules during a Department of Labor review and IMMEDIATELY changed our practices. We compensated ALL affected hourly employees and former employees.”
According to Gooch, the lack of payment for overtime was never brought to Hard Eight BBQ’S attention until news outlets placed the owed amount on the headline.
The investigation covered June 1, 2019 to April 15, 2021, according to Rodriguez.
“The employer paid all back wages including overtime after it was addressed by the Wage and Hour Division,” Rodriguez said.
“The restaurant made a mistake, and they paid up,” he added. “That was the outcome the department was looking for.”