U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Los Angeles-Area Restaurant Paying $65,704 to 10 Employees to Resolve Wage Violations

RIVERSIDE, CA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Super Happy Buffet – a restaurant based in Riverside, California – will pay $65,704 to 10 employees for minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigators discovered that Super Happy Buffet paid employees either fixed salaries or day rates without regard to the number of hours they actually worked. These practices resulted in earnings below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, and also in overtime violations when employees worked more than 40 hours in a week. The employer’s failure to keep time records also resulted in recordkeeping violations under the FLSA. 

“Employers must pay their employees all the wages they have legally earned for all the hours they have worked,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Daniel Pasquil in West Covina. “Ensuring that employees receive the wages they rightfully earned also guarantees that all employers compete on a fair and level playing field.”

Employers who discover overtime or minimum wage violations may self-report and resolve those violations without litigation through the PAID program. For more information about the FLSA and other laws enforced by the Wage and Hour Division, contact the Division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information is also available at www.dol.gov/whd including a search tool for workers who may be owed back wages collected by WHD.