The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $109,154 in back wages and damages from five New Orleans restaurants that were found to have denied full wages to 359 workers. The Wage and Hour Division's investigation revealed that Bobby Hebert’s Cajun Cannon, the Hideout Bar, Mambo’s Oceana Grill, and the Olde NOLA Cookery made illegal wage deductions for uniforms, order errors, liquor shortages, customer walk-outs, and credit card disputes.

The recovery includes $54,577 in back wages and an equal amount in damages for tipped servers and bartenders. This action is part of an ongoing enforcement initiative by the division aimed at identifying violations within the restaurant industry and ensuring compliance with federal wage regulations.

“Many restaurant and hospitality workers depend on their wages and tips to support their families,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Troy Mouton in New Orleans. “Employers who make deductions to cover business expenses often reduce wages paid to the workers below the federal minimum wage, causing workers financial hardship and creating costly consequences for employers.”

The implicated restaurants are owned by a father-and-son team operating under company names including Cajun Conti LLC, Cajun Bourbon LLC, Cajun House LLC, Cajun Vets LLC, and Cajun 417 LLC.

In fiscal year 2023 alone, the division recovered over $29.6 million in back wages for nearly 26,000 food service workers and assessed more than $6.1 million in penalties.

For further information about the Fair Labor Standards Act or other laws enforced by the division, individuals can contact the agency’s confidential helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). The division offers assistance in over 200 languages. Additional resources include a search tool for owed back wages collected by the division and a new Timesheet App available in English and Spanish for both Android and Apple devices.