French Laundry Employee Alleges Wage Theft

A former dishwasher at the restaurant French Laundry recently filed suit, claiming the restaurant failed to pay full wages to her and over 50 of her fellow employees. The suit also claims the restaurant committed other work violations.

The lawsuit alleges that the employee didn’t receive her full wages between 2022 and 2025, when she worked for French Laundry. The lawsuit names both French Laundry and its owner, the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group, as defendants.

According to the complaint filed with the Napa Superior Court, the plaintiff and her co-workers often clocked out at the end of a shift, only to continue working. The lawsuit claims they were never compensated for these tasks. Examples of alleged post-shift tasks include mopping, wiping down walls at restaurant workstations, and cleaning out dishwasher filters. The lawsuit asserts that staff were required to do these tasks about three or four times a week and were never paid for those efforts.

The lawsuit also claims that workers’ lunch breaks were often cut short. Workers lining up to clock out for lunch meant long lines, causing some workers to lose as much as five minutes from a 30-minute lunch break each day. The plaintiff claims she was also interrupted at lunch by supervisors demanding she clean buckets or take out the trash while off the clock. According to the complaint, these interruptions happened about once a week. The restaurant also did not schedule employee breaks, due to “staffing and business practices,” says the complaint.

When news of the first lawsuit broke in March, the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group told SFGate that the complaint made a “baseless claim.” The group, owners of French Laundry, claimed that the issues raised were those of a single employee. In a statement, the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group said that “no other employee at the French Laundry has raised any issues about underpayment” and that “the French Laundry complies fully with all California employment laws.”

Since this statement, however, more employees have come forward. In July 2026, Inc. magazine noted that a second lawsuit was filed in June 2026. This lawsuit, filed by a French Laundry kitchen server, made additional claims about missed breaks and unpaid wages. It claims that the restaurant forced workers to take their meal breaks during unpaid time before a shift began and that long lines at the time clock shortened breaks. The restaurant’s choices caused workers to “systematically miss and otherwise take non-compliant meal periods,” resulting in shifts up to ten hours long with no breaks, according to the lawsuit.

The June filing contains other claims as well. For instance, it alleges that the restaurant required all employees to use a common changing room without adequate privacy protections. It also states the restaurant lacked a break room. 

Another case was filed in May 2026, making similar claims. That case focuses on the restaurant’s alleged failure to pay employees for all their hours worked, as well as minimum wage violations. 

Inc. notes that the French Laundry isn’t the first brand to show a gap between the experience it offers customers and the way it treats employees. The magazine cites a Northwestern/Rutgers study that found about 25 percent of Los Angeles workers were paid less than the minimum wage in 2024 – yet most never reported it or filed a claim. Over time, says Inc., wage theft and similar practices erode workers’ commitment and expertise in their roles – and thus erode the public’s confidence in a business.

A 2024 wage theft report from Rutgers University estimates that Californians lose a collective $2.3 billion to $4.6 billion in earned wages each year. These losses stem directly from employers failing to follow California wage and hour laws. Whether it’s shortening breaks, requiring workers to clock out early, cheating workers out of overtime, or demanding work before employees clock in, businesses find ways to pickpocket their workers in violation of state law.

You don’t have to allow this treatment to continue. If you believe your employer failed to pay you properly, denied you legally required breaks, or violated California’s wage and hour laws, talk to the San Francisco Bay Area employment attorneys at McCormack Law Firm today. Call us at 415.925.5161 to discuss your situation and learn more about your legal options. We’re here to answer your questions and help you get the compensation you deserve. 

Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only. McCormack Law Firm is not involved in this case.