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Flames Brazilian Steakhouse was ordered to pay more than $84,000 in back wages and damages for 13 workers, the Department of Labor said in a news release on Tuesday, June 18. The restaurant on the corner of 10th Avenue and Main Street also paid $4,459 in penalties.
DOL investigators said owner Dariusz Targonski didn't give overtime pay to hourly or non-exempt salaried employees who worked more than 40 hours in a week.
"People employed in the restaurant industry often work long hours to support themselves and their families and they deserve to be paid the wages they’ve earned," said Charlene Rachor, district director for the DOL's Wage and Hour Division. "Wage theft is a serious issue and the U.S. Department of Labor is determined to hold industry employers like Dariusz Targonski accountable when they mistakenly believe they can violate workers’ rights and gain an unfair advantage over their competitors."
The Fair Labor Standards Act requires employers to pay at least one-and-a-half times a regular hourly salary for employees who work more than 40 hours in a week. Salaried employees who make less than $684 per week ($884 starting on Monday, July 1) are also eligible for overtime pay.
The investigation also found that Targonski didn't keep required payroll records at Flames, which opened in March 2018.
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