On April 18, 2014, Outten & Golden LLP, together with our co-counsel Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP, filed a class action complaint in New York district court against TGI Friday’s and Carlson Restaurants on behalf of tipped workers. The lawsuit accused TGI Friday’s of violating federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the New York Labor Law by using a centralized time keeping system to have hours from employee time records and allowing employees to work off-the-clock performing non-tip producing side work including cleaning the restaurant, preparing food in bulk for customers, cutting produce, refilling condiments, and stocking and replenishing the bar and service areas. At other restaurants, these duties customarily are assigned to back-of-the-house employees, who typically receive at least the full minimum wage rate of pay.
The lawsuit sought to recover minimum wages, overtime compensation, spread-of-hours pay, misappropriated tips, uniform-related expenses, unlawful deductions, and other wages for current and former workers at TGI Friday’s restaurants throughout the nation owned and/or operated by Carrollton, Texas-based Carlson Restaurants Inc., Carlson Restaurants Worldwide Inc., and TGI Friday’s Inc. nationwide.
On April 9, 2018, the Court granted final approval of the class action and FLSA settlement. Please email Justin M. Swartz, @email or call 212-245-1000 for more information. The case is Julio Zorrilla et al. v. Carlson Restaurants Inc. et al., case number 1:14-cv-02740, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, before U.S. District Court Judge Analisa Torres.
Please email Justin M. Swartz or call 212-245-1000 for more information.
(*Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.)
