Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU
Several D.C. restaurant owners have recently been slapped with steep fines over alleged wage theft in what the industry sees as a surprise move by the city’s Department of Employment Services.
The local restaurant trade group says these fines are unprecedented; DOES disputes that characterization. But nonetheless, the agency is already facing pushback from the restaurant industry and at least one D.C. councilmember.
The reason? Some restaurants are being charged heavy penalties for minor discrepancies or even administrative errors.
One restaurant’s notice says it should owe $108,400 for allegedly failing to pay two employees a total of $1.85 — one employee is owed $1.40 after accounting for tips and another 45 cents — between April 2020 and June 2020. The agency reduced the penalty to $6,000 because its investigation process was delayed at no fault to the business, according to the DOES notice dated June 20 and shared with DCist/WAMU.
Still, the restaurant has to pay $6,000 by July 20 for failing to adhere to the city’s full minimum wage law, per the notice. The restaurant declined to be interviewed for fear of retaliation from the city for speaking with the press.
In other instance, Cyrille Brenac of La Piquette and Bistrot Lepic & Wine Bar received enforcement notices in June that he is still trying to resolve. The paperwork says the restaurants owe several tipped employees hundreds or even thousands of dollars each, according to the June...
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