Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Faces Lawsuit for Underpaying Tipped Workers

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, which has been a staple of Columbia's jock scene for more than a decade and a favorite in Gowanus since it opened in June 2013, is being sued for improperly using the "tip credit." The credit allows restaurants to pay tipped employees less than the minimum wage if the difference is made up in tips, or management must pay the difference. The suit, which targets the six New York state locations of the Syracuse-based chain (there is also a Jersey and Connecticut outpost), alleges that tipped workers weren't paid overtime, that their tips were "misappropriated," and that they had to share their tips with managers for large events, reports The Post-Standard of Syracuse. Workers also were allegedly forced to spend about 20 percent of their shifts doing non-tipped tasks while being paid the tipped minimum wage without management paying the difference. The class action suit, which was filed in federal court late last week, is being brought by Fitapelli & Schaffer, a firm that has represented workers at Chipotle and TGI Friday's. Dinosaur founder John Stage says he is aware of the allegations, but will not comment on them.