The feds say the businesses violated several provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Two Red Mesa restaurants are accused of keeping bartenders' and servers' tips, in addition to other allegations, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Thursday.

Investigators said in a news release that Red Mesa Inc., operating as Red Mesa Restaurant, and Veytia Ventures LLC, operating as Red Mesa Cantina, used the withheld money to pay for customers who skipped out on their bills. They, too, deducted the cost of uniforms from employees' wages, which led some workers to be paid less than minimum wage.

The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division ultimately recovered $190,730 in back wages and liquated damages for 89 affected workers.

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The division also found the restaurants in violation of the following, it says in the release:

• Paid an incorrect overtime rate to tipped employees and failed to combine hours when these employees worked at both restaurants in the same workweek. By doing so, the restaurants paid overtime at rates lower than required by law for hours over 40 in a workweek and failed to pay for all overtime hours in some workweeks.
• Paid kitchen staff straight time regardless of how many hours they worked. By doing so, the employer failed to pay them the additional half-time rate required for overtime hours.
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