Restaurant Roasted for Wage Violations

The Labor Commissioner’s Bureau of Field Enforcement (BOFE) has cited a Koreatown barbeque restaurant $680,000 for widespread wage theft violations.

The citation  covers failure to pay 48 workers all wages owed, denial of legally required meal and rest breaks, and issuance of incomplete or inaccurate wage statements. Some employees were allegedly required to remain on the premises during lunch breaks, while others worked split shifts without receiving premium pay.

Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower noted: “Restaurant workers are often at risk of wage theft, especially when employers ignore laws around pay practices and required break periods.  These citations reflect our continued efforts to hold employers accountable and ensure that workers receive the full wages and protections they are legally entitled to regardless of immigration status.”

Takeaways:

Employers must follow all wage-and-hour laws, including meal and rest break requirements. Our firm offers proactive, confidential reviews of wage, hour, and documentation practices — before a government agency initiates its own, less friendly, investigation.

For further information, please contact Tim Bowles, Cindy Bamforth or Helena Kobrin.

See also:

• Hold-Up Hammered – Construction Sites Labor Code Violations Earn $2.3 Million in Citations (September 9, 2025)
• Lunch Time – Tracking – Preventing a Recordkeeping Business-Buster (August 8, 2025)
• End Away Pay – Mastering “Reporting Time Pay” Compliance (August 7, 2025)
• We Offer an Ounce of Prevention – Make a Wage Audit a Priority (February 15, 2024)

Cindy Bamforth
September 25, 2025