China Grill Sous Chefs Sue for Overtime Pay

Sous Chefs who worked in the kitchen at restaurants owned by China Grill Management, including Ed’s Chowder House, Empire Hotel Rooftop, and China Grill, have sued the restaurants for denial of overtime compensation required by federal and state wage and hour laws. The employees allege in their Class Action Complaint, filed in New York federal court, that they were not paid an overtime premium for all hours worked over 40 in a given work week. The workers claim they were misclassified as exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which requires each covered employer to compensate all non-exempt employees at a rate of at least one and one-half times the regular rate of pay for work performed in excess of forty hours per work week. The sous chefs seek unpaid overtime wages, liquidated damages, and attorneys’ fees and costs.  Under the FLSA, kitchen workers and cooks are generally entitled to overtime unless they are salaried employees who fall into an administrative, professional, or executive exemption from the law.