According to the US Department of Labor, Black's Barbecue Inc. shared servers' tips with managers.
The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $230,353 in back wages for 274 workers employed by Black’s Barbecue Inc.
Investigators with the department’s Wage and Hour Division found Black’s Barbecue Inc.; Kent Black’s Lockhart Barbecue Inc. andBarbecue LLC – all with the same ownership and operating as Black’s Barbecue restaurant – kept a portion of the employees’ tips and shared them with managers illegally. Black’s Barbecue Inc. and Kent Black’s Lockhart Barbecue Inc. has operated for three generations in Texas. In addition to Lockhart, the employer has locations in Austin, New Braunfels andIn 2021, the division identified nearly $35 million in back wages owed to more than 29,000 food service industry workers."Black’s Barbecue has always paid 100% of all tips to all of their employees based on current laws and rules. The company and the owners of the company have never received any tips.