Bulle restaurant got people talking when it opened in the spring; its owner saying he wanted it to be the “most upscale restaurant in Fresno.”
Now, five months later, trouble is brewing inside the restaurant.
Three unpaid wage claims have been filed with the state and at least seven workers — many of them top kitchen staff, including the executive chef — have left.
Bulle (pronounced Byool) at Marks and Herndon avenues calls itself a sustainable, farm-to-table restaurant. It has a dress code, caviar on the menu and a $45 cocktail.
Tom and Davita Miller — who also own the three Press Box Sports Grill locations and work in real estate — launched the restaurant together. Its grand opening was in May.
Unpaid wages/chefs quitting 
Executive chef Max McCarthy puts the finishing touches on a fire-roasted eggplant dish at Bulle in northwest Fresno on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
Of the three complaints, one was received in April, and additional complaints were filed in July and August, according to California’s Labor Commissioner’s Office. The complaints were first reported by Fresnoland.
Because the matters are pending, the department would not release any further details, including the amounts the employees say they are owed.
One sous chef is in the process of filing a claim with the same office alleging a labor law violation relating to paychecks bouncing and “uncertain hours.”
A separate claim was filed July 16 by an employee at the Press Box, another restaurant owned by the Millers.
At Bulle, executive chef Max McCarthy said the pay issue was one of the reasons he quit.
“I left because I didn’t agree with how the owners conduct their business,” he said in a message to The Bee. “Employees get paid very late, checks bounce after late payment, vendors constantly putting our accounts on hold because we don’t make payments.”
McCarthy, who worked at several Michelin-starred restaurants before coming to Bulle, left Aug. 2.
Also leaving were the two sous chefs (second in command), the pastry chef, a chef de partie (a line cook in charge of a certain station) and the man in charge of cooking meat at the fireplace-like Argentinian grill on the kitchen’s back wall.
On Monday, both owner Tom Miller and employees agreed that everyone has since been paid.
But the history of bouncing and delayed paychecks — and fears that it would happen again — is one of the reasons employees say they are leaving.
Miller acknowledged that opening a new restaurant, particularly one that took a long time to open, created cash-flow challenges.
“We’re like any business in California, we’re strapped,” he said.
Several employees said that each pay period a handful of people’s paychecks would bounce, although they would eventually get the money.
Over the Fourth of July weekend, it happened to Ryan Tomb, who oversaw the cold appetizers station.
“Every payroll there was maybe four or five different people whose checks haven’t gone through, but this time it was about a third of the staff whose checks hadn’t gone through,” he said.
Miller told The Bee: “We immediately corrected payroll issues by issuing cashier’s checks, and in several cases I personally delivered them or deposited the funds for the employees,” he said.
Tombs said he met Miller at a Starbucks to pick up a cashier’s check from him. Tombs took it to his personal bank, but was told there would be a seven- to nine-day hold before he could access the money — and additional holds of at least five days would in the future, he said.
“Because Bulle had been flagged in the system for writing bad checks … any check that was being written would be a five- to seven-day hold,” he said.
Miller said checks would clear just fine on his end.
“I have no idea why their bank does that,” he said. “It’s their bank. It clears on my side.”
Tombs quit after that, citing the paycheck hassle and personal reasons.
The paycheck delays had consequences in employees’ lives.
Kevin New, who cooked the massive Tomahawk steaks at the grill fed by vertically stacked logs, said two of his checks were delayed.
He lives paycheck to paycheck. A widower whose wife died of cancer in 2024, he’s also a single dad to his 12-year-old son.
Normally he’s paid on the fifth of the month, which is also the last day he can pay the rent on his condo. When his pay was delayed, he borrowed money to pay his rent.
“It’s not his fault I don’t have a savings,” New said of Miller, but “this isn’t something that can continue to happen.”
In August, another paycheck was delayed. Around that time, New’s condominium burned down. Last week, he quit the job and is living off renter’s insurance money in a different condo.
Miller said some of the banking difficulties stemmed from when he combined three separate accounts into one bank. At least one employee who held onto a paper paycheck for three months couldn’t cash it because the account was closed.
A new menu 
Tom and Davita Miller stand next to a 400-year-old mirror at their restaurant, Bulle, in northwest Fresno on Tuesday, April 22, 2026. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
When asked about losing so many of his top chefs, especially head chef McCarthy, Miller didn’t hold back.
“It is the best thing that happened to me,” he said. “They were losers — and I say that sweetly.”
Miller said the chef’s menu didn’t appeal to enough people. There weren’t enough entrees designed for a single person and too many large shareable dishes, he said. McCarthy was an artist, but food also needs to appeal to the masses and make money, Miller said.
“Max lost,” he said. “If he’s not going to pivot, he’s got to go.”
Over the weekend, Bulle launched a new menu with more entrees for one, including black tiger prawns, halibut and chicken. Most of it is under $57.
The restaurant has hired a new consultant group that includes a Michelin-starred chef and is now led by executive chef Valentino Lee, Miller said.
“We’ve got a great new executive chef,” he said. “Our goal remains unchanged: to build something lasting that our team, our guests, and our community can be proud of.”
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A screenshot of an image from Bulle owner Tom Miller, that showed up on Reddit.com after payroll problems. Screenshot from Reddit.com 
The bar at Bulle in northwest Fresno is shrouded with ornate lighting and mirrors while offering unique cocktails. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com 
The entry to Bulle in northwest Fresno, a new high-end farm-to-table restaurant with a focus on sustainability, in-house dry-aged meats, and seasonal produce. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
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Bethany Clough covers restaurants and retail for The Fresno Bee. A reporter for more than 20 years, she now works to answer readers’ questions about business openings, closings and other business news. She has a degree in journalism from Syracuse University and her last name is pronounced Cluff.