News Brief
Department of Labor recovers $129K in tips, damages for employees deprived full earnings by Vancouver pizza franchise operator
Employer: Investier LLC, operating as Round Table Pizza
5016 NE Thurston Way
Vancouver, WA 98684
Investigation findings: A U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation found the owner of a Round Table Pizza restaurant unlawfully kept a portion of the tips earned by workers by allowing managers to participate in the restaurant’s tip pool, a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Federal law forbids employers or managers from keeping employees’ tips for any purpose.
Back Wages Recovered: $64,681 in unpaid tips for 52 employees
$64,681 in liquidated damages for 52 employees
$28,548 in civil money penalties for the willful nature of the violations
Quote: “Many restaurant employers continue to shortchange vulnerable workers by using the tips they receive to supplement managers’ and supervisors’ salaries,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Katherine Walum in Portland, Oregon. “We are determined to stop these unlawful schemes. As Round Table Pizza has learned, wage theft in any form has costly consequences for employers.”
Background: In fiscal year 2023, the division successfully recovered more than $29.6 million in back wages for nearly 26,000 food service workers nationwide and assessed $6.1 million in civil money penalties in the food services industry.
Investier LLC owns and operates 14 Round Table Pizza franchise locations in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington.
Workers can use the division’s Workers Owed Wages search tool to see if they are owed back wages collected by the division. Employers and workers can contact the Wage and Hour Division for assistance at its toll-free number, 1-866-4-US-WAGE. Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including the agency’s restaurants compliance assistance toolkit and an overview about the FLSA protections for restaurant workers. Workers and employers alike can help ensure hours worked and pay are accurate by downloading the department’s Android and iOS Timesheet App for free in English or Spanish.
