Restaurant Near Teterboro Committed Wage Theft, State Says

MOONACHIE, NJ — The Secaucus-based owners of a Moonachie restaurant and take-out deli right next to Teterboro airport must pay their employees nearly $111,000 in back pay after the New Jersey Department of Labor says they committed wage violations after they paid their employees "off the books."

The Department of Labor started investigating after an employee filed an anonymous wage complaint against Berry Creek Café. That is a popular sit down restaurant and takeout establishment located off Moonachie Avenue.

Berry Creek Cafe is operated by In Thyme Food Services, LLC, a family-owned corporate catering company that is headquartered in Secaucus, said a Dept. of Labor spokesman. They also operate a food-serving business in Edison. Berry Creek Cafe also does catering.

The decision was announced last Wednesday, Aug. 7 by the state: The state's investigation found employees working at In Thyme Food Services' multiple businesses but not being paid overtime for working more than 40 hours per week. Some employees were paid a portion of their wages off the books, the state said. A self-audit by the company showed it owed $110,603 to the underpaid workers, ranging from just $15 to one employee to a high of $18,898 to another.

“When New Jersey workers are denied overtime or paid off the books, they are deprived of fair wages,” Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo said. "Our society improves when employers play by the rules, and treat every employee fairly."

In Thyme Food Services, LLC was also assessed $11,060 in fees and $20,000 in penalties.