SEATTLE, Wash. (AP) — The restaurant empire of Seattle chef Tom Douglas will pay $2.4 million to more than 1,000 current and former employees after settling a class-action lawsuit.
The Seattle Times reports the suit against the operator of Dahlia Lounge, Palace Kitchen, Brave Horse Tavern and more than a dozen other local restaurants accused the company of not giving workers rest and meal breaks and not disclosing how much of a 20% service fee billed to customers went to its service workers.
When Seattle increased its minimum wage to $15 in 2015, some restaurants charged customers a “service fee” they claimed would offset the burden of paying their service workers the higher minimum wage.