Three restaurants in Madison, Ridgeland, and Flowood, Mississippi, have paid $50,338 in back wages to 229 employees after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) determined the employers violated requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigated Primos Restaurants Inc. – owned by Peter Don Primos and operating as Primos Café – and found the employers allowed supervisors and managers to participate in the tipped employees’ tip pool. The FLSA prohibits managers and supervisors from participating in tip pools and provides enforcement authority to recover all tips unlawfully kept by the employers. Investigators also found the restaurants failed to maintain accurate records of the number of hours employees worked which led to recordkeeping violations.

“Employers must understand their responsibilities and pay employees all of the wages they have legally earned,” said Wage and Hour District Director Audrey Hall, in Jackson, Mississippi. “We encourage all employers to review their pay practices and contact the Wage and Hour Division for compliance assistance. By doing so, employers can ensure all employees are paid properly and avoid violations like those found in this case.”