Cuomo: Lemongrass Grill Screwed Workers Out Of $770,000

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The owner of a popular Thai restaurant in the Financial District underpaid employees by hundreds of thousands of dollars during the past six years, with some working 72 hours a week for less than minimum wage, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. The A.G. says Lemongrass Grill owner Hann Low paid delivery workers as little as $2.08 per hour, and some kitchen workers made as little as $4.23 per hour (below minimum wage). Delivery workers say they were compensated just $25 a day for 10 to 12 hour shifts at Low's restaurant at 84 William Street; Cuomo's suit demands $962,000 in restitution and damages. An investigation is continuing into Low's second Lemongrass location on the Upper West Side—Low’s ex-wife owns the third Lemongrass Grill in Park Slope, and it's unclear whether that location is also under investigation. Cuomo's lawsuit is just the latest in an ongoing crackdown on restaurateurs underpaying workers; in March state labor officials recovered $2.3 million in back wages for more than 800 workers at nine restaurants, including the Ollie's noodle shop mini-chain, and the 21 Club is being sued by employees for withholding part of their tips.

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By John Del Signore in Food on July 14, 2009 8:55 AM

Comments [rss]

JonnyLeather

Modern Day Slavery

barryap

That's f'ed up. This is why you should always handsomely tip your delivery guy.

slny

That is a tough one.

On the one hand, you feel bad for the poor guy being there when you travel to work and then you see him still there when you travel home after work and after you've picked up your kids and done shopping.

And on the other hand, you have a slave-camp restaurant.

Spirit of 76

No, this is why you should order somewhere else. It makes no sense to pay high prices for delivered food and then pay even more for a tip just because the restaurant owner is pocketing most of the money illegally.

valeriob

You can't get more in-your-face blatant than the South Street Seaport.

All of the restaurants that line the ground level are owned by the same people and they pay less than minimum wage. Most of the employees there are illegal, so that helps.

They also treat their wait staff like garbage, water down their drinks, marry bottles, serve frozen fish when menu advertises 'fresh', and the chefs are unsanitary.

jws8439

Elote on Union in Williamsburg. They pay all their employees less than minimum wage and it's all under the table. Just recently they started taking out "taxes" for these cash payments that the government knows nothing about. Sketchy people running that place, I had a friend that tended bar there.

grandeur

I hope this isn't true. I live around the corner from there, but have never gone in. I see a hipster kid delivering food for this place. I doubt if its under min wage now.