2026년 10월 23일 금요일

More French Laundry workers allege unpaid labor behind the scenes

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/more-french-laundry-workers-allege-222026043.html?shem=aimgspe,

More French Laundry workers allege unpaid labor behind the scenes

Aidin Vaziri

Sun, June 14, 2026 at 3:20 PM PDT

The French Laundry, one of the country's most celebrated restaurants, is facing two new labor complaints in Napa County, adding to a March lawsuit that accused the three-Michelin-starred restaurant of wage and workplace violations.

The civil complaints broadly allege that workers were not properly paid, were denied legally required meal and rest breaks, received inaccurate wage statements and were required to perform some work off the clock at the Yountville restaurant.

The Napa Valley Register first reported the new complaints, filed under a California law that allows workers to seek penalties on behalf of the state. In an email to the Register, a representative for Thomas Keller Restaurant Group denied the allegations.

"Our client treats all employees lawfully and in full compliance with all applicable California employment laws and we intend to vigorously defend against these allegations," the representative said in the email.

The three cases, filed in Napa County Superior Court between March and June, were brought by former hourly employees under California's Private Attorneys General Act, or PAGA.

The newest case was filed June 1 by Tiffany Hogue, who alleges she worked at the French Laundry as a kitchen server from about January to May 2025.

Hogue's complaint focuses in part on what it calls the restaurant's "family meal" system. It alleges workers were required to take a meal period early in their shifts before service began, that all employees used the same time clock and that lines to clock out cut into their breaks.

The complaint also alleges employees had to change into uniforms during meal breaks, walk back to the restaurant and clock in. At the end of shifts, the complaint says, employees clocked out before walking back to a locker room to change out of their uniforms. The complaint alleges that time should have been paid.

The French Laundry is facing two new labor complaints in Napa County, adding to a March lawsuit filed by another former employee. The complaints allege wage, break and workplace violations; Thomas Keller Restaurant Group denies wrongdoing. (Stephen Lam/S.F. Chronicle)

Hogue also alleges employees often worked shifts longer than 10 hours without second meal periods and that once service began, employees were not allowed to take meal or rest breaks.

"Their only focus is on providing the impeccable service, which is both expected and required, at one of the world's finest restaurants," Hogue's complaint says.

Her complaint also alleges unlawful tip pooling and unpaid "stages," or trial shifts. It says Hogue worked one unpaid trial day and alleges some cooks worked several unpaid days or weeks before being hired.

A second new case was filed May 15 by Jovani Ibarra, who alleges he worked for French Laundry Partners from around October 2021 to August 2023 as a runner and server.

Ibarra's complaint alleges the company failed to pay employees for all hours worked, including minimum wages, regular wages and overtime. It also alleges workers were not provided the required meal and rest breaks or paid premium wages when breaks were missed.

The first of the three cases was filed March 19 by Elena Flores Beteta, who alleges she worked as a dishwasher at the French Laundry from August 2022 to March 2025.

Beteta's complaint alleges employees were not paid for all hours worked, were sometimes required to keep working after clocking out and were denied proper meal and rest breaks. It also alleges workers had to wait in line to clock in and out, and that clock-in and clock-out times were adjusted in ways that made breaks appear compliant.

Her complaint also raises concerns about restroom access, lack of a proper break room and hot kitchen conditions. It further alleges workers were not always paid all wages on time, including final wages and unused vacation pay when employment ended.

The French Laundry is listed by the Michelin Guide as a three-star restaurant, its highest rating. The restaurant is part of Thomas Keller Restaurant Group, which operates restaurants in California, Nevada and New York.

PAGA cases are not traditional class-action lawsuits. Business groups have criticized the law as a tool for costly settlement demands, while labor advocates say it helps enforce workplace rules when state regulators lack the resources to investigate every claim.

A case management conference in Hogue's case is scheduled for Nov. 10, according to Napa County court records.

[아메리츠 재정블로그] 노동법 소송을 자주하는 직원 대책

https://blog.allmerits.com/list/view/?c=2071&b=11414

노동법 소송을 자주하는 직원 대책

최근 들어 동일한 직원이 여러 식당들을 상대로 소송을 제기하거나 노동청에 클레임을 접수시키는 케이스가 급증하고 있다.

최근 들어 동일한 직원이 여러 식당들을 상대로 소송을 제기하거나 노동청에 클레임을 접수시키는 케이스가 급증하고 있다. 한 스시맨은 필자의 클라이언트들 세군데를 상대 로 이미 노동법 소송을 제기했고 현재는 다른 일식당을 상대로 노동청 임금 클레임과 보복 클레임을 진행중이다. 또 다른 스시맨은 오렌지카운티와 LA 카운티의 일식당 두 군데들을 상대로 연속해서 노동법 소송을 제기했었다. 다행히 이 두 케이스는 합의를 통해 종결됐다.

한 한인 서버는 오렌지카운티의 한인 식당 두군데를 상대로 연속해서 노동법 소송을 제기해서 수만 달러의 합의금을 받고 케이스를 종결시켰다. 그리고 나서 이번에는 LA 카운티의 식당에서 몇개월만 일한 뒤 임금과 부당해고 소송을 제기했다. 이 서버는 각 식당에서 1년 미만 정도만 재직한 뒤 소송을 제기한 것으로 알려졌다. 많은 경우 소송을 자주 제기하는 서버는 역시 소송을 자주 제기하는 주방직원과 같이 새 식당에 같이 취직한 뒤 같이 소송을 한다. 새 고용주는 이런 사실을 전혀 모르고 시한폭 탄과 같이 식당을 운영하는 경우가 많다.

이렇게 노동법 소송을 여러번 제기했다고 해서 노동법 소송을 새로 제기하는 데 불리한 점은 없다. 정부나 법원은 이 직원이 자신의 권리를 지키기 위해 소송을 했다고 해석하 기 때문에 아무리 많은 소송을 고용주를 상대로 했어도 이를 문제삼지 않는다. 많은 한인 고용주들이 “어떻게 이렇게 재직하는 식당마다 상대로 노동법 소송을 거는데 무사 할 수 있냐?”고 불만을 터트리지만 법적으로 아무 상관 없다. 그렇기 때문에 고용주는 새로운 직원이 입사할 때 여러번 노동법 소송을 제기했다는 이유로 이 새 직원의 채용을 막거나 해고할수 없다. 그럴 경우 부당해고 소송을 당하게 된다.

그렇지만 이 직원의 입사 전에 그전에 근무했던 식당들이 어디인지 이력서를 통해 확인하고 그 전 직장에 연락해서 이 직원에 대해 문의할 수는 있다. 그럴 경우 전 직장 고용주들은 만일 이 직원이 퇴사후에 자기를 상대로 노동법 소송을 제기했을 경우 그렇다고 팩트만 새 고용주에게 말할 수 있다. 대부분 소송후 합의문에 있는 기밀사항 규정에 보면 소송을 했고 소송을 합의를 통해서 해결했다는 사실은 기밀이 아니지만 얼마에 합의했다는 사실은 기밀에 속하기 때문에 법으로 강제되지 않는 이상 타인에게 밝힐 수 없다.

그렇기 때문에 전 고용주는 합의금 액수에 대해서는 발설하지 않는 선에서 이 직원이 자기를 상대로 소송했다고 까지는 알려줄 수 있다. 물론 새 고용주는 전 직장을 상대로 이 직원이 노동법 소송을 했다는 이유로 채용을 거부하거나 해고할 수는 없다. 그렇지만 이 직원의 배경조사를 통해 이 직원이 노동법 위반사항에 대해 자신의 권리를 보호하려는 성향이 강하다는 사실을 알게 되고 이 직원에 대해서는 노동법을 더 준수해야 한다고 다짐할 수 있다. 이런 직원의 배경 조사는 불법이 아니다.

이 직원이 전 직장을 상대로 노동법 소송을 제기했다는 이유로 이 직원을 블랙리스트에 넣어서 식당주들 사이에 공유할 수 없다. 그럴 경우 노동법 위반이 되기 때문이다. 즉, 자기 식당을 상대로 노동법 소송을 제기한 직원들의 명단을 동종업체들에게 주거나 공개할 수 없다. 그러나 새 고용주가 이전 고용주에게 이 직원에 대해 문의하면 확실한 팩트를 전해줘야 하는 한인 고용주들은 거의 이런 사실을 알려주지 않는다. 물론 전 고용주들이 이 사실을 꼭 알려줘야 할 필요는 없다.

그러나 동종업체가 노동법을 잘 준수하도록 도와줘야 한다고 생각한다. 그러기 위해서 이 직원이 노동법 준수에 신경질 적인 반응을 보인다는 사실을 알려준다고 해서 전 고용주가 법적으로 불리할 리는 없다. 새 고용주가 노동법 소송을 일삼는 직원을 채용하기 전에 그 사실을 알면 채용 안 할 수 있다. 문제는 그 직원이 소송을 자주 했다는 이유로 채용을 거절하거나 재직중에 해고할 수는 없다는 것이다.

2026년 10월 22일 목요일

Korean restaurant chain Daeho sued by three ex-employees, alleging unpaid wages and harassment

https://sf.gazetteer.co/korean-restaurant-chain-daeho-sued-by-three-ex-employees-alleging-unpaid-wages-and-harassment

Korean restaurant chain Daeho sued by three ex-employees, alleging unpaid wages and harassment

The California Civil Rights Department granted their attorney the go-ahead to file the lawsuit

By Olivia Peluso

2:38 PM PDT on September 15, 2026

The Daeho Dining Group operates eleven restaurants, including several in SF: a Daeho Kalbijjim and Beef Soup, YakiniQ, Bansang, and Jina Bakes, all in Japantown, and another Daeho Kalbijjim on Alemany Boulevard. Photo: Olivia Peluso / Gazetteer SF

Three former employees of Daeho Kalbijjim and Beef Soup, the acclaimed Korean restaurant chain with locations in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area, have sued the company, alleging unpaid wages and patterns of sexual and racial harassment.

Filed in San Francisco Superior Court on Tuesday, the suit claims that employees Ki Yong Choi and Gerardo Jimenez, who were hired at the San Mateo location, and Serafin Villegas, hired at the San Francisco H-Mart location, were not appropriately compensated for their hours worked.

Daeho Dining Group is headquartered in San Francisco. Founder Daeho Hwang has been running Korean restaurants in the area since he moved to San Francisco in 1990; in recent years, Daeho has gone viral for its cheese-topped kalbijjim. The group now operates eleven restaurants: six Daeho Kalbijjim and Beef Soup restaurants across California and Washington, YakiniQ and Bansang in Japantown, and Mao and Mils in South Korea.

The suit states that the three employees worked as kitchen staff, primarily cooking, preparing and cutting ingredients, making broth, setting up kitchens, and performing other manual kitchen work, often for 12 to 15 hours at a time six to seven days a week. However, because they were hired by Daeho as salaried, exempt employees, the suit alleges that Choi, Jimenez, and Villegas were not granted overtime compensation or given the legal meal and rest periods typically granted to non-exempt employees. Such was also the case when the three workers were sent to help open new Daeho locations in Las Vegas, Concord, Bellevue, and elsewhere.

Under California law, more than half of an employee’s working time must be spent performing administrative, executive, or professional work in order to exempt them from the state’s wage and hour requirements. The suit alleges the workers’ roles were misclassified, given that it was primarily physical kitchen work.

The suit also alleges that a portion of the tips allocated for kitchen employees was taken and used to pay management, despite tips being considered a part of the kitchen workers’ annual salaries. California employers cannot count tips and gratuities as a portion of an employee’s compensation in order to satisfy a minimum wage requirement; moreover, managers and supervisors cannot take any portion of employees’ tips or join the employees’ tip pool.

In addition to wage theft, the lawsuit alleges patterns of harassment. Jimenez and Villegas claim they were repeatedly subjected to sexual and racial harassment by a manager named Ken, including unwanted kissing, hugging, and grabbing of their genital areas and buttocks; they claim the manager would become angry and hostile when they resisted him. Additionally, they claim Ken sometimes struck them when he was angry, and subjected them to derogatory treatment and physical aggression due to their Mexican heritage and lack of English proficiency. (Attempts to reach Daeho Dining Group for comment were unsuccessful.)

Adding to allegations about targeted derogatory treatment were the accommodations arranged for Jimenez, Villegas, and other Mexican kitchen employees during assigned travel to the (now shuttered) Las Vegas location. For 16 months from April 2023 to roughly October 2024, Jimenez and Villegas were temporarily transferred to the then newly-opened Las Vegas location, where they would work 15-hour days, six to seven days a week, for two weeks at a time before returning home to San Francisco for two days, after which time they would be reassigned to Vegas for another two weeks. The suit also claims that they and other kitchen workers were placed in an apartment in an undesirable area, where employees slept on the living room floor without beds, only blankets.

“Mexican rank-and-file kitchen employees performing grueling schedules were given materially inferior sleeping and living accommodations while management personnel were provided significantly superior company housing,” the suit alleges. “Considered together with the national-origin comments and treatment described below, the disparity is evidence of Defendants’ less favorable treatment of Mexican employees.”

Jimenez and Villegas both resigned in June; last week, after raising these concerns to the California Civil Rights Department (CCRD), they were each given a Notice of Right to Sue.

Choi separately raised his concerns to the CCRD and was also given a Notice of Right to Sue.

Choi, who is over the age of 40 according to the complaint, says he was terminated after nearly four years of employment, after owner Daeho Hwang told him he wanted a “new generation” of employees. The suit notes that Choi had previously objected to the company’s practice of diverting tips, and that his concerns had been communicated to senior management.

Neither Daeho Dining Group nor the workers’ lawyer, Joong Y. Im, were available to comment.

Editor's note: The story has been updated to remove mention of Jina Bakes, which is no longer owned by the Daeho Dining Group.