{"id":442672,"date":"2026-08-25T04:14:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T04:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/442672\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T04:14:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T04:14:13","slug":"chefs-quitting-and-paycheck-problems-at-bulle-fresno","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/442672\/","title":{"rendered":"Chefs quitting and paycheck problems at Bulle Fresno"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bulle<\/a> restaurant got people talking when it opened in the spring; its owner saying he wanted it to be the \u201cmost upscale restaurant in Fresno.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, five months later, trouble is brewing inside the restaurant.<\/p>\n

Three unpaid wage claims have been filed with the state and at least seven workers \u2014 many of them top kitchen staff, including the executive chef \u2014 have left.<\/p>\n

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.<\/a><\/p>\n

Tom and Davita Miller \u2014 who also own the three Press Box Sports Grill locations and work in real estate \u2014 launched the restaurant together. Its grand opening was in May.<\/p>\n

Unpaid wages\/chefs quitting \"Chef 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 <\/p>\n

Of the three complaints, one was received in April, and additional complaints were filed in July and August, according to California\u2019s Labor Commissioner\u2019s Office. The complaints were first reported by Fresnoland.<\/p>\n

Because the matters are pending, the department would not release any further details, including the amounts the employees say they are owed.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cuncertain hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

A separate claim was filed July 16 by an employee at the Press Box, another restaurant owned by the Millers.<\/p>\n

At Bulle, executive chef Max McCarthy said the pay issue was one of the reasons he quit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI left because I didn\u2019t agree with how the owners conduct their business,\u201d he said in a message to The Bee. \u201cEmployees get paid very late, checks bounce after late payment, vendors constantly putting our accounts on hold because we don\u2019t make payments.\u201d<\/p>\n

McCarthy, who worked at several Michelin-starred restaurants before coming to Bulle, left Aug. 2.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s back wall.<\/p>\n

On Monday, both owner Tom Miller and employees agreed that everyone has since been paid.<\/p>\n

But the history of bouncing and delayed paychecks \u2014 and fears that it would happen again \u2014 is one of the reasons employees say they are leaving.<\/p>\n

Miller acknowledged that opening a new restaurant, particularly one that took a long time to open, created cash-flow challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re like any business in California, we\u2019re strapped,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Several employees said that each pay period a handful of people\u2019s paychecks would bounce, although they would eventually get the money.<\/p>\n

Over the Fourth of July weekend, it happened to Ryan Tomb, who oversaw the cold appetizers station.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery payroll there was maybe four or five different people whose checks haven\u2019t gone through, but this time it was about a third of the staff whose checks hadn\u2019t gone through,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Miller told The Bee: \u201cWe immediately corrected payroll issues by issuing cashier\u2019s checks, and in several cases I personally delivered them or deposited the funds for the employees,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Tombs said he met Miller at a Starbucks to pick up a cashier\u2019s 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 \u2014 and additional holds of at least five days would in the future, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Miller said checks would clear just fine on his end.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no idea why their bank does that,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s their bank. It clears on my side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tombs quit after that, citing the paycheck hassle and personal reasons.<\/p>\n

The paycheck delays had consequences in employees\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n

Kevin New, who cooked the massive Tomahawk steaks at the grill fed by vertically stacked logs, said two of his checks were delayed.<\/p>\n

He lives paycheck to paycheck. A widower whose wife died of cancer in 2024, he\u2019s also a single dad to his 12-year-old son.<\/p>\n

Normally he\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not his fault I don\u2019t have a savings,\u201d New said of Miller, but \u201cthis isn\u2019t something that can continue to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

In August, another paycheck was delayed. Around that time, New\u2019s condominium burned down. Last week, he quit the job and is living off renter\u2019s insurance money in a different condo.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t cash it because the account was closed.<\/p>\n

A new menu \"Tom 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 <\/p>\n

When asked about losing so many of his top chefs, especially head chef McCarthy, Miller didn\u2019t hold back.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the best thing that happened to me,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were losers \u2014 and I say that sweetly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miller said the chef\u2019s menu didn\u2019t appeal to enough people. There weren\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cMax lost,\u201d he said. \u201cIf he\u2019s not going to pivot, he\u2019s got to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a great new executive chef,\u201d he said. \u201cOur goal remains unchanged: to build something lasting that our team, our guests, and our community can be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A A screenshot of an image from Bulle owner Tom Miller, that showed up on Reddit.com after payroll problems. Screenshot from Reddit.com \"The The bar at Bulle in northwest Fresno is shrouded with ornate lighting and mirrors while offering unique cocktails. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com \"The 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
\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Bethany Clough<\/a><\/p>\n

The Fresno Bee<\/p>\n

Bethany Clough covers restaurants and retail for The Fresno Bee. A reporter for more than 20 years, she now works to answer readers\u2019 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.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bulle restaurant got people talking when it opened in the spring; its owner saying he wanted it to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":442673,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":["post-442672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=442672"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442672\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/442673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=442672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=442672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=442672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}