Former Firenze Ristorante Employees Take Issue with Restaurant’s Pay Practices

New to ClassAction.org? Read our Newswire Disclaimer

Two operating companies and one individual owner of New York eatery Firenze Ristorante are facing a proposed class and collective action that takes issue with the defendants’ pay practices. Filed by three former employees who worked in various positions at the restaurant, the complaint claims the defendants failed to pay their workers proper minimum, overtime, and spread-of-hours wages.

Two of the plaintiffs – a busser/runner and a busser/runner/porter/delivery worker – say they were paid $20.00 per shift, plus tips from customers, regardless of how many hours they worked, which allegedly caused their pay to fall below minimum wage. One plaintiff claims he worked for the defendants without any compensation for a period of two weeks to clean the restaurant’s old location after a fire.

The third plaintiff – a food prep/line cook – alleges he was paid a fixed weekly salary that ranged between $450 and $540 regardless of how many hours he worked over 40. According to the suit, he and other employees were not provided with wage statements detailing their hours and rates of pay or posted notices informing them of their rights under state and federal law.