$50 Pay For 12-Hour Shift: QNS Servers Sue Korean BBQ For Wage Theft

QUEENS — This Flushing restaurant might have hundreds of 5-star reviews on Yelp, but staff say owners might've pocketed hundreds of dollars in wage theft incidents, federal court records show.

Former waiters at Picnic Garden BBQ Buffet filed suit Wednesday against owners they contend paid just $50 for shifts that could last more than 12 hours a day, Brooklyn Federal Court records show.

The federal lawsuit accuses James and Chung Lee — owners of the Korean Barbecue eatery on Northern Boulevard and 154th Street — for stiffing workers as far back as January 2017.

The lawsuit accuses the Lees of failing to pay minimum wage and overtime to servers who worked up to 70 hours per week.

The servers also say they received neither accurate wage statements nor adequate notice of wage changes, the complaint shows.

The Picnic Garden BBQ Buffet owners also used tips to pay bussers and gave a portion of the tips to the restaurant manager, the lawsuit contends.

The waiters, who are supposed to be paid weekly by state laws, were allegedly paid bi-weekly, the lawsuit says.

Picnic Garden BBQ Buffet declined a request for comment from Patch. The popular venue in Flushing has more than 800 4-star and 5-star reviews on Yelp.