Business & Tech
Houlihan's Employees Sue Bergen County Company For Allegedly Keeping Tips, Report Says
Servers' and bartenders' tips from five Bergen restaurants, including Hasbrouck Heights, allegedly paid for non-tipped employees' wages.
A Bergen County company that operates five North Jersey Houlihan’s restaurants has been sued by the U.S. Department of Labor for allegedly pocketing more than $40,000 in employees’ tips, The Record reported.
A.C.E. Restaurant Group required servers and bartenders at 17 Houlihan’s locations, including Hasbrouck Heights, Paramus, Ramsey, Secaucus, and Weehawken, to contribute part of their gratuities to a tip pool, the lawsuit claims, the report states.
The money was allegedly “unlawfully” used to pay non-tipped employees’ wages, including custodians and kitchen workers, and management would also allegedly keep a portion of tips collected, all alleged violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, according to the report.
Find out what's happening in Hasbrouck Heightsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The suit alleges that A.C.E., and its president and part-owner, collected more than $40,000 in tips that were not given to employees from all 17 locations the company owns, the report states.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.