Bartenders at the Peak Inn and Adair’s Saloon in Dallas Recoup Nearly $200,000 in Tips | Eater Dallas

"A music-forward dive in Deep Ellum was included in the same U.S. Department of Labor audit that found bartenders’ tips were illegally pooled and shared with non-tipped employees, and that the establishments violated federal minimum wage and overtime rules by not paying cooks at least $7.25 per hour or time-and-a-half for overtime. Regulators also cited failures to combine hours when staff worked both as cooks and bartenders and to maintain legally required records. The Wage and Hour Division said the enforcement led to a substantial recovery of wages — contributing to a $198,000 payout that averages about $9,900 per affected bartender among roughly 20 workers. Owner Joe Morales has described the issue as a misunderstanding of post‑COVID labor-law changes and not nefarious conduct." - Courtney E. Smith