US Department of Labor recovers $179K in back wages, damages from owners of 10 Las Vegas restaurants that failed to pay 121 workers overtime wages

LAS VEGAS – The U.S. Department of Labor recovered $179,860 in back wages and liquidated damages from the owners of 10 Korean BBQ, sushi and hot pot restaurants in Las Vegas who failed to combine the hours of 121 employees when they worked at more than one location and did not pay workers overtime wages for the hours over 40 in a workweek.

The department’s Wage and Hour Division found the owners, Sun K. Ma and Seung Na violated the Fair Labor Standards Act when they failed to pay overtime when required. Investigators determined they paid overtime to employees who worked over 40 hours at individual locations but incurred violations by not combining hours when employees also worked at one of their other restaurants.

“Restaurant employers who operate more than one location and hire workers to work at multiple sites must count the total weekly hours worked at all locations they own when calculating overtime pay,” explained Wage and Hour Division District Director Higinio Ramos in Las Vegas. “People working for same employer at different locations should be aware that their wages due are based on the total weekly hours worked at all locations combined, and they are owed overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek.”

The investigation included the following 10 locations:

In fiscal year 2021, the Wage and Hour Division recovered more than $34.7 million for more than 29,000 workers in the food service industry. In 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports near record numbers of job openings and workers in the accommodations and food services industry quitting their jobs. 

The Wage and Hour Division encourages workers with questions about their employers’ pay practices to contact the agency. Calls can be answered confidentially and in more than 200 languages by the division’s professionals.

The Wage and Hour Division also protects workers against retaliation and has regulations that prohibit retaliation, harassment, intimidation, or adverse actions against employees who assert their worker rights. Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division and how to file an online complaint. Workers and employers with questions can contact the division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243), regardless of where they are from.

Download the agency’s new Timesheet App for Android and iOS devices to ensure hours and pay are accurate.