The future of Berkeley institution Bobby G’s Pizzeria is uncertain amid allegations of wage theft and claims that a former employee received multiple paychecks with insufficient funds.

Last month, Jennifer Baquing sued Bobby G’s owners, Gurpreet Kaur and Gurmukh Bansel Singh, alleging unpaid wages to Baquing, who worked as a marketing and event coordinator. According to the Alameda County Superior Court filing, Baquing was abruptly terminated in December, despite signing a contract two months earlier that would have kept her employed through October 2026. Baquing is asking for $180,000 in damages. 

Bobby G’s has been a local haunt for college students ever since it opened in 2006. At the time, the pizzeria stood out for its bargain deals, including $2.25 pizza slices and $17 for a large New York-style pizza. The restaurant was also an early leader in the craft beer movement with an extensive tap list. Over the years, locals have headed to Bobby G’s to watch big sports games or for weekly trivia nights. “Jeopardy!” champion Amy Schneider was a regular at Bobby G’s trivia, according to Oaklandside. 

SFGATE was unable to reach the owners for comment, and daily calls made to Bobby G’s Pizzeria last week also went unanswered. On Wednesday, SFGATE visited the pizzeria during its regular business hours, but the restaurant appeared to be closed. A FedEx package slip dated April 6 was taped over the storefront but remained there two days later.

Alexei Kuchinsky, an attorney for Baquing, told SFGATE in an email that the lawsuit was based on workers’ rights violations and the pizza shop’s owners not honoring a written agreement.

“We’re confident the facts will come out through the process, and that the Court or a jury will reach the right result. At a basic level, this case is about ensuring workers are paid what they are owed under California law,” Kuchinsky wrote. 

In her March 19 lawsuit, Baquing said she worked at the pizzeria as a social media manager and later helped support event coordination beginning in April 2025. Baquing said she was never reimbursed for event supplies she had purchased and was issued paychecks with insufficient funds on at least two occasions in 2025. Late or partial payments were a “systemic and ongoing” problem with paychecks coming in days to weeks late, according to the lawsuit.

The March lawsuit comes after Bobby G’s landlord, Raj Properties, filed a lawsuit last November alleging that the pizzeria owed over $46,000 in back rent from August to November 2025. The property management company identified Anthony Booker as the CEO of Game & Co. Inc., a corporation associated with Bobby G’s. On Nov. 3, 2025, the landlord served the restaurant a three-day notice to pay rent or quit, according to that lawsuit. Charles Alfonzo, the represented attorney for Raj Properties, told SFGATE on Thursday that the case has since been resolved and declined to comment further. 

Booker’s relationship with Kaur, who was listed as the CEO of Game & Co. Inc. in the March lawsuit, is unclear. 

Bobby G’s has changed hands over the past few years. Its most recent owner was Jagandeep Dyal, who signed a lease for the Berkeley fixture in December 2022, according to the November lawsuit. Dyal had signed a two-year lease at 2072 University Ave. but later transferred the remaining term of his contract to Booker’s corporation, Game & Co. Inc., in February 2024, according to the November lawsuit.