A Popular LA Korean Barbecue Restaurant Is Fined $66K for Wage Theft | Eater LA

"At this Koreatown all-you-can-eat restaurant, I learned that Oo-Kook Korean BBQ violated the Fair Labor Standards Act when a manager participated in the employee tip pool, taking more than $28,000 in tips that should have gone to workers. As a result of the investigation, the owners will pay $28,213 in unpaid tips for 35 workers, $28,213 in liquidated damages for those employees, and a $10,103 civil penalty given the employer’s history of violations. I also noted prior Department of Labor actions: a 2012 investigation resulted in $5,300 in back wages for 14 workers, and a 2020 investigation found an employee at a La Mirada location was owed more than $16,000. The latest probe was part of a cross-regional initiative to advance workplace equity, and the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance played a critical role in the findings." - Cathy Chaplin