BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — The U.S. Department of Labor recovered over $101,000 in back wages for 36 workers at three Japanese restaurants in Baton Rouge.
An investigation found that the restaurants violated minimum wage and overtime laws.
The investigation looked into Umami Japanese Bistro in Baton Rouge and Geisha, Sushi with a Flair in Prairieville and Denham Springs. The three restaurants share the same owners.
At Umami Japanese Bistro, investigators found that servers had to share their tips with kitchen staff, like cooks and dishwashers.
The Labor Department said that this practice broke federal law. As a result, workers did not get the full minimum wage they were owed. The restaurant was required to pay more than $66,000 in minimum wages and another $7,450 for tips that were improperly given to kitchen staff.
At the Geisha restaurants in Prairieville and Denham Springs, investigators said they found that some kitchen staff were not paid overtime correctly. They missed out when they worked over 40 hours a week.
Those workers were owed more than $27,000 in overtime pay, the department said.
In total, the department said three restaurants paid $101,125 in back wages to affected employees. The employers also paid $2,325 in penalties related to the tip violations.
“The FLSA violations found at these restaurants are far too common in the service industry,” Wage and Hour Division District Director Troy Mouton said.
The Department of Labor said employers must follow federal rules for tipped employees. They also need to pay overtime to eligible workers.
Latest News
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Louisiana First News.
Dining and Cooking