Northeast Austin restaurant workers claim they have not been fully paid in months

Employees at a northeast Austin restaurant claim they’ve encountered delayed and incomplete payments, while the restaurant’s owners dispute the allegations.

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — Several employees at a northeast Austin restaurant say they showed up for work, put in the hours — and still were not fully paid.

For months, workers at Down South CaJJun Eats say their paychecks were delayed, inconsistent or incomplete, leaving some struggling to cover rent and basic expenses.

Serena Saldana, the restaurant’s former general manager, said the problems began shortly after she was hired in January.

At first, Saldana said, employees were issued checks — but not always ones they could immediately cash.

“They were just giving us the checks, but we couldn’t cash them because they were gonna bounce,” Saldana said. “They would ask us, ‘Oh, can you cash them in two or three days?’”

Instead, Saldana said owners would pay employees– including herself– through apps like Cash App and Zelle, but the delays continued — with money often arriving days after payday.

For some employees, she said, the system only made it harder to track what they were actually owed.

Jerry Saldana, a former cook at the restaurant and Serena Saldana’s brother, said payments came in inconsistent amounts.

“This is one full check payment,” Jerry Saldana said– pointing to a Cash App payment from March 31.

“This is a partial payment,” Jerry Saldana said, pointing to a Cash App payment from February. “It’s complicated to know exactly how much I’m supposed to get paid, or if I even got the right amount.” 

According to Serena Saldana, the situation worsened after a deadly shooting during a Cinco de Mayo event at the restaurant. She said business slowed, and payments became less frequent and more fragmented.

“Payments started coming through little by little,” Serena Saldana said. “Here’s a chunk. Here’s a chunk. Here’s a chunk.”

She described receiving partial payments over time, including $250 on May 8, $180 on May 10, and $1,000 on May 26 — but said the full amount owed has still not been paid.

“I’m like, ‘Hey, what is going on? These people need to be paid,'” she said. “Like, where is the money going? I don’t understand.”

KVUE contacted the owners of Down South CaJJun Eats on Tuesday. In an email, they denied claims that they failed to pay employees for weeks.

“We are aware of the allegations that have been made,” the owners said in an email. “However, the claims that Down South CaJJun Eats has failed to pay employees for weeks and that employee tip money is being used to pay business expenses are false. We strongly dispute any allegations that employee wages or tips have been improperly withheld or misused.”

KVUE followed up, requesting an on-camera interview and documentation showing employees were paid in full, but did not receive a response. A visit to the restaurant on Wednesday did not result in contact with ownership, and calls to the owner’s cell phone went unanswered.

For workers like Jerry Saldana, the financial strain is ongoing.

“I take care of my mom and my brother; I pay all the bills, and it’s not right for us not to get paid because we all have responsibilities,” he said. “Now I’m at risk of, you know, losing my apartment because I haven’t been paid on time to pay my rent.” 

Jerry and Serena Saldana said they’ll continue to reach out to the owners until employees are given what they’re owed.