Detroit Lakes restaurant pays back employees after illegal tip pooling

Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM)-

Investigations into a Detroit Lakes restaurant shows they owed over $14,000 to employees who contributed to illegal tip pools.

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry said in a statement that Spitfire Bar and Grill in Detroit Lakes paid $14,695 to their employees after an investigation showed the illegal tip pooling.

Minnesota law prohibits employers from requiring employees to share tips with their employers or with employees who do not directly receive tips, like bussers, dishwashers, cooks, and hosts. Tip sharing is allowed, however, when employees choose to do so independently of their employer.

According to the report, Spitfire required workers to contribute to their tip pool in 2018 and 2019. The restaurant also agreed to pay back 52 employees who received an average of $282 in back pay.

Yumi Restaurant in Excelsior was also named in the report. The restaurant agreed to pay back 10 workers in amounts that range from $281 to $16,000 for a total of $55,120 back to its employees.