Dozens Of BK Restaurants Stole Wages From Workers: New Data Analysis

BROOKLYN, NY — Dozens of Brooklyn restaurants owed nearly hundreds of workers over $1 million in unpaid wages, according to a new data analysis.

Well over $1 million was owed to Brooklyn workers between January 2012 and December 2022, according to a Documented analysis of state and federal Labor department data.

While Documented's thorough investigation looked at multiple industries, the restaurant business is thought to be the epicenter of wage theft across the state.

“It is likely you will find businesses that you know, and maybe some you love," said Documented Executive Co-Director Max Siegelbaum. "Everything from small corner shops to major New York institutions are included in the data.”

Wage and hour records from the state and federal Departments of Labor showed that, among others, these restaurants in Brooklyn have stiffed their workers on wages:

Tenda Asian Bistro at 118 Montague Street

• Wages Owed: $128,410.12
• Workers With Lost Wages: 26

Okeanos Restaurant at 314 7th Avenue

• Wages Owed: $43,956.86
• Workers With Lost Wages: 7

Aperitivo Restaurant at 279 5th Avenue

• Wages Owed: $25,049.28
• Workers With Lost Wages: 6

Scottadito Osteria Toscana Restaurant at 788 Union Street

• Wages Owed: $41,711.73
• Workers With Lost Wages: 22

Silver Crust West Indian Restaurant at 4809 Church Avenue

• Wages Owed: $27,381.66
• Workers With Lost Wages: 2

Silver Crust at 660 Utica Avenue

• Wages Owed: $74,780.22
• Workers With Lost Wages: 36

Mitoushi Japanese Restaurant at 1714 Sheepshead Bay Road

• Wages Owed: $117,952
• Workers With Lost Wages: 11

Istanbul Bay Restaurant at 2202 86th Street

• Wages Owed: $156,473; $28,000
• Workers With Lost Wages: 4; 1

Cafe Mogador at 133 Wythe Avenue

• Wages Owed: $91,374.47
• Workers With Lost Wages: 39

Family Group Enterprises Inc (Patrizias Pizza & Pasta) at 35 Broadway

• Wages Owed: $207,971.47; $99,084.85
• Workers With Lost Wages: 7; 6

The data above were compiled by Documentedfrom New York State and federal Departments of Labor collected between January 2012 to December 2022, according to Documented.

The numbers across the city are similarly sobering. Across New York, federal and state authorities have identified over 13,000 instances of wage theft between just 2017 and 2021, ProPublica and Documented reported.

These cases represent over $203 million stolen from 127,000 workers in the state - numbers considered by the U.S. Department of Labor to be a significant undercount, ProPublica and Documented reported.

The Westville chain was found guilty of wage theft at multiple locations — including the East Village, Hudson, West Village and Chelsea — totaling $1,832.33, according to the map.

Burlington Coat Factory in two locations stole workers’ wages totaling around $1,400.

On the higher end sat Eisenberg Sandwich Shop, a Fifth Avenue eatery opened in 1929, found to owe six workers $861,603 in wages. And Carbone Ristorante Italiano (not the famed Greenwich Village spot) owed $205,773.93 to one employee.

“Behind the dots on this map are the stories of over 100,000 workers," said Siegelbaum. "Some of whom missed rent, went hungry, or were unable to pay for medical care after losing a paycheck.”