Another Celebrity Restauranteur Accused of Stealing Its Employees Wages/Tips

Daniel Boulud, a Michelin-starred chef with a 6 restaurant empire, has not only prepared meals for important figures such as President Obama and Showtime CEO Matt Blank, but he is currently being sued by employees for back wages and stealing their tips.

This lawsuit comes as quite a surprise especially when you consider how much one of the chef’s multi-course dinners cost (up to $220 a person.) According to the multimillion-dollar lawsuit, however, employees say the chef not only stole gratuities earned from waiting tables at private events, but he also made them do non-tipped side work such as cleaning bathrooms and scrubbing floors. By law employees must be paid at least the minimum wage ($9 an hour in California) to complete non-tipped side work (versus the $5 an hour that Boulud’s employees were paid.)

This isn’t the only time Boulud has been in hot water for stiffing waiters as of late. Within the last few months, he reached a settlement with 88 other employees who were suing him for similar grievances. Boulud’s restaurants may be some of the best in the world but does he really deserve the title of “Chef of the Year” (given to him by the Culinary Institute of America) under such circumstances?

What do you think of these rich celebrity restauranteurs with $200+ per person dinners not paying minimum wages and stealing their employees tips?