An Austin restaurant owner left employees unpaid at three different restaurants for more than a week during the holiday season. Now, the Austin community is banding together to raise funds for the affected staffers.

“ Three [locations] paid said employees, yet all the checks have bounced,” said Ramon Barrera, a content creator who posted a clip about the situation to TikTok, which now has over 20,000 views.

Barrera had read a recent article published by KVUE and took to TikTok to spread information about the event. According to their reporting, an Austin restaurateur working with Flavor Hospitality group suddenly stopped speaking to his employees, letting their checks bounce during the holiday season.

One employee said that employees have been scammed out of $25,000, leading many to struggle with their bills going into 2026.

What Austin restaurants recently closed?

Barrera didn’t clarify which restaurants were at-fault for not paying their employees, but former employee Christian De La Fuente did. Gusto Italian Kitchen, Gina’s on Congress, and Gracia Mediterranean, all of which are managed by Flavor Hospitality group.

Gina’s and Gusto are now listed as “permanently closed” on Google. KVUE likewise confirmed their recent closures. Gracia closed during the holiday season but is now listed as open on its social pages and Google listing.

Ownership told KVUE that it’s assessing the situation but that it’s unlikely to re-open the eateries.

Cameron Lockley started Flavor Hospitality Group in 2023. Previously, Lockley served on the Leadership Council for the Austin Independent Business Alliance and the Advisory Board for The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas, information which has since been stripped from Gusto Italian Kitchen’s website and the internet.

The only page associated with Flavor Hospitality Group that is currently available is the company’s catering events page, Flavor Co. Catering + Events, which technically split from Flavor Hospitality Group in 2023.

De La Feunte, Flavor Hospitality Group’s Food and Beverage Operator, started a GoFundMe where she shared more information about the recent situation.

Contractors and employees working for these restaurants were expecting checks by Christmas Eve. Instead, they ended up receiving payments that bounced.

According to her written statement, “multiple payroll checks were returned unpaid on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.” When employees started asking the owner questions, he stopped responding.

De La Fuente has clarified that legal steps are being taken to give the employees their wages. But, considering the lengthy legal process, it will take time for that process to fully resolve.

“These are cooks, servers, bartenders, dishwashers, event staff, and support workers who relied on this income and were blindsided at the worst possible time of year,” De La Fuente said.

What does Barrera’s community think of the closure?

Barrera reposted the story in an attempt to get more people active and engaged with the situation. Some commenters shared their thoughts, adding personal experiences with the restaurants in question.

A woman named Sonya claimed she had personal experience with Gusto Italian Kitchen. The professional chef said, “I worked [at] Gusto 10 years ago and it was a [expletive] business then and now it’s even worse with all this jazz!”

“As someone who worked in service at locally owned spots for years and years, this surprises me not one little bit,” one viewer added. “These employees are at the whim of these owner’s personalities with zero security.”

Barrera stated that it should be an “easy lawsuit” to win, but commenters had additional suggestions. For instance, some stated that contacting the Texas Workforce Commission can assist with the process.

Currently, there have been no updates to De La Fuente’s GoFundMe page that indicate that the wages have been paid. As of Saturday, it’s raised $21,000 of its intended $25,000 goal, though donations have been paused.

We’ve reached out to De La Fuente via GoFundMe and Barrera via TikTok direct message. Flavor Hospitality Group was unavailable for comment, but we reached out to Flavor Co. Catering + Events via email.