A wage and hour lawsuit alleges Cracker Barrel required their tipped employees to perform non-tip-producing job duties at the end of their shifts without providing them with minimum wage.

The Case: Frederick v. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.

The Court: Fresno County Superior Court of the State of California

The Case No.: 3:23-cv-00813

The Plaintiff: Frederick v. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.

The plaintiff in the case, Catherine D. Frederick, was an hourly tipped employee at a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store restaurant. During her time at the restaurant, Frederick claims the company expected tipped workers to complete job-related, untipped tasks before and after starting their shift while logged in as tipped workers and that workers were not compensated fairly for the untipped job duties. Frederick filed an FLSA multi-plaintiff action complaint demanding a jury trial seeking unpaid minimum wage and other damages.

The Defendant: Frederick v. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.

The defendant in the case, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., compensated the plaintiff and other similarly situated employees using a tip-credit compensation plan that compensated tipped employees at a sub-minimum wage hourly rate of pay and then crediting tips received during their shifts, which combined would meet the FLSA minimum wage requirements. However, the plaintiff claims that the company’s demands that workers clock in as “tipped workers” in the timekeeping system while completing untipped job duties before and after their regular shift starts violated labor law.

The Case: Frederick v. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.

In the case Frederick v. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., workers allege the popular restaurant and store paid them using a “tipped worker” timekeeping system while requiring them to complete untipped job duties. The plaintiff claims that Cracker Barrel enjoyed ill-gained profits at the expense of their employees. The unpaid wage claims of the plaintiff and similarly situated employees are unified through common theories of the Defendant’s FLSA violations.

If you have questions about filing a California wage and hour lawsuit, please contact Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik DeBlouw LLP. Experienced employment law attorneys are ready to assist you in various law firm offices in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Chicago.