Bryan Caswell's Reef Sued for Alleged Labor Violations

Joining a growing list of restaurants being sued for alleged violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is chef Bryan Caswell and co-owner Bill Floyd's critically acclaimed Gulf seafood restaurant, Reef.

The Reef employee named as plaintiff in the suit, who is currently still working at the restaurant, claims that "Defendants do not pay waiters and bartenders [...], at the minimum wage for all hours worked, nor do they pay waiters and bartenders, [...] overtime wages for hours worked in excess of forty (40) per each seven (7) day workweek at a rate of time and one-half as required by the FLSA."

More allegations state that the defendants "routinely 'write down' the number of hours worked by waiters and bartenders, [...] so that they are paid for fewer hours than they actually work," as well as supposed required employee participation "in an invalid tip pool."

Chef and Reef co-owner, Bryan Caswell declined to comment on the situation.

Hunan Chef Also Sued
Another lawsuit filed this week alleges that Hunan Chef, on FM 1960 pays "their kitchen workers a fixed daily wage regardless of the hours worked," and that kitchen workers are not paid "additional compensation for hours worked over forty in a workweek."

The supposed FLSA violations in this suit are specifically: "not compensated at the FLSA mandated time-and-a-half rate for hours worked in excess of forty," and "not compensated at the FLSA mandated minimum wage."

Reef & Hunan Chef Lawsuits

· The Growing List of Lawsuits on Eater Houston [EHOU]
· All Bryan Caswell Coverage on Eater Houston [EHOU]
Photo: Caswell inside Reef. [Reef/Official Site]