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(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) –\u00a0New York State Attorney General Letitia James HAS secured $440,000 from Denny\u2019s Franchise Owners Reveille Management, LLC (Reveille Management) and Top Line Restaurants, Inc. (Top Line Restaurants) for failing to pay their Restaurant Workers the full wages they were owed.<\/p>\n
Reveille Management and Top Line Restaurants, both owned by Arizona-based couple Glenn and Tina Beattie, operate Denny\u2019s Restaurants in at least five States, including 23 locations across Western New York, and employ thousands of New Yorkers as Cooks, Dishwashers, Servers, Hosts And Supervisors.<\/p>\n
An Office of the Attorney General (OAG) investigation found these Franchise Owners repeatedly failed to pay more than 1,900 Denny\u2019s Workers the extra pay they were owed for long shifts, known as \u201cspread of hours\u201d pay, as required by New York law.<\/p>\n
As a result of OAG\u2019s investigation, the Beatties must pay $440,000 in restitution to current and former Employees whose wages were unlawfully withheld and overhaul their policies and procedures to ensure the violations do not continue.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Attorney General James said: \u201cDenny\u2019s Workers kept these restaurants running through long days and late nights, and\u00a0they deserve\u00a0to be paid\u00a0every dollar they earned. These Franchise Owners ignored clear wage laws and shortchanged hard-working New Yorkers. My office will continue to stand up for Workers and hold employers accountable when they cheat people out of their pay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF) President Denise Abbott said: “As a (Labor) Federation representing more than (145,000) Union Workers and Retirees across this region, we applaud\u00a0Attorney General James for her office’s continued work to hold law-breaking employers accountable and make Workers whole. When Workers face abuse and exploitation on the job, their families and our communities suffer immeasurable harm. We are proud to stand with Attorney General James as she fights for Working Families across New York, returning tens of millions in stolen wages, tips and benefits to the hard-working people who keep this State running.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
New York State law requires\u00a0Restaurant Workers\u00a0to\u00a0receive one\u00a0additional\u00a0hour of pay for\u00a0any workday\u00a0longer than 10 hours.<\/p>\n
This \u201cspread of hours\u201d\u00a0pay is calculated at the State\u2019s Minimum Wage Rate and applies by day, not by shift,\u00a0meaning it\u00a0covers\u00a0consecutive shifts\u00a0worked\u00a0within\u00a0a single day\u00a0and\u00a0includes meal breaks, rest periods and\u00a0time between\u00a0shifts.<\/p>\n
Employers\u00a0must\u00a0provide spread of hours pay\u00a0for\u00a0every qualifying\u00a0workday,\u00a0whether\u00a0or not\u00a0the Employee requests it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u00a0OAG had opened an investigation in December 2024 after a Denny\u2019s Employee\u00a0filed a complaint alleging\u00a0the company\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0paying for extended shifts.\u00a0<\/p>\n