Longhorn Steakhouse Owes Bartenders Unpaid Wages, Lawsuit Says

Darden Restaurants Inc.'s Longhorn Steakhouse fails to pay bartenders the minimum wage for time spent on non-tipped payroll assistant work, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court in Virginia.

Darden and subsidiary GMRI Inc. deputize bartenders to account for and pay out the tips servers earn during their shifts, using their restaurant’s cash funds, but it doesn’t pay minimum wage for that work, Racquel Rafferty’s complaint says in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Rafferty, who works for the restaurant chain in Virginia Beach, says she and other bartenders spend 20 to 50 minutes per ...