Restaurant didn’t pay servers for overtime, feds say. Now Texas eatery owes thousands

A Texas restaurant owed five servers over $40,000 in back wages, the U.S. Department of Labor determined after an investigation.

Antonio’s Homestyle Cooking in Weatherford claimed a tip credit, but did not pay the mandated $2.13 for each hour their employees worked, the DOL said in a May 26 news release.

The federal agency specified that the restaurant failed to pay the five servers for their overtime work, which is a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Additionally, the restaurant did not keep correct time records for employees, the release said.

The DOL has recovered $41,279 in back wages for the five workers.

“Denying wages rightfully earned by workers in this low-wage industry is wage theft, plain and simple,” Jesus A. Valdez, the Dallas Wage and Hour District Director, said. “Compliance issues like these are all-too-common in the food service industry.”

Weatherford is 30 miles west of Fort Worth.

This story was originally published May 27, 2022 at 10:04 AM with the headline "Restaurant didn’t pay servers for overtime, feds say. Now Texas eatery owes thousands."

Mariah Rush

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Mariah Rush is a National Real-Time Reporter. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and has previously worked for The Chicago Tribune, The Tampa Bay Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer.