HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Central Pennsylvania eatery with locations in Chambersburg, Waynesboro, and Gettysburg is the target of a probe by federal investigators, who claim it shorted employees on minimum wage and refused to pay overtime.
The claims are part of a complaint filed in U.S. Middle District Court by The U.S. Department of Labor against Montezuma of Pennsylvania, Inc., a restaurant chain specializing in Mexican fare.
Federal investigators say the restaurant company did not pay tipped employees like bussers and servers the require minimum wage between September 2016 and September 2019.
The company also charged tipped workers for the company shirts they had to wear during their shifts, thereby dropping their pay below the required minimum, federal investigators contend.
Investigators also say Montezuma improperly classified six kitchen managers and chefs as salaried workers who were exempt from overtime wages. The employees had to work 50- to 60-hour weeks without the overtime compensation they were entitled to, the complaint alleges.
Montezuma also did not keep accurate records of employee hours, as required by federal law, according to allegations made in the complaint.
The Department of Labor is asking Judge Jennifer P. Wilson to order Montezuma to pay the affected employees for the alleged overtime compensation and minimum wage pay they are owed. That amount has not yet been determined, according to the complaint.
