Atlanta's Slutty Vegan chain facing lawsuit over unpaid wages in Brooklyn

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Slutty Vegan is located at the corner of Ralph David Abernathy Blvd SW and Ontario Avenue SW.  (FOX 5)

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Workers at the New York City location of the popular Atalanta plant-based burger joint Slutty Vegan have filed a federal lawsuit accusing the restaurant of unpaid wages.

Patch reports that the lawsuit was filed earlier in April by three employees of the restaurant's Fort Greene location.

According to the lawsuit, the employees say they were denied bonuses and overtime pay amounting to at least $8,000.

This lawsuit marks the second unpaid wages suit in just three months for the restaurant's founder Pinky Cole.

In January, workers at her Bar Vegan bar and restaurant in Atlanta's Ponce City Market sued Cole and two business partners claiming the restaurant withheld a portion of their tips while paying them less than the federal minimum wage

Pinky Cole and City Council Member Farah Louis attend Slutty Vegan Brooklyn Grand Opening on September 18, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

Morgan Georgia says she was an employee at Bar Vegan for over two years and says that the restaurant paid tipped employees $2.13 an hour while requiring them give up 25% of their tips. 

"The allegations are and what our clients say is that Bar Vegan was keeping a large percentage of tips to cover operational costs in the restaurants," said attorney Travis Foust, who represents Georgia and other former employees.

While state law and federal guidelines allow businesses to pay tipped employees that hourly wage, they are required to have the maximum tip credit.

Lawyers for the owners of Bar Vegan, in a court document in response to the lawsuit, admit Georgia was treated as a tipped employee, but say employees "were paid compensation beyond that to which they were entitled while employed by Bar Vegan, such additional compensation would satisfy, in whole or in part, any alleged claim for unpaid minimum wages and/or overtime or other monetary relief."

Cole also responded to the first lawsuit on Instagram, saying that she was not "familiar with the ordeal or the employee, because I don't run day to day operations at Bar Vegan."

"What do I gain withholding someone’s hard earned money when my blessings overflow EVERYDAY? When I’m helping people EVERYDAY! When I’m using my resources to put people on EVERYDAY.. employees included! My life’s work is in service, and this negativity don’t match my name," Cole wrote.

The restaurant chain, which began as a side-hustle and expanded to its first location in 2019, was estimated by CNBC to have at least $100 million in annual revenue.

This month, the chain opened its newest location at Truist Park.

In a statement provided to FOX 5, representatives of Anderson Group Public Relations, which represents Slutty Vegan, said that the company "takes the wellbeing of its staff very seriously." 

"Slutty Vegan is deeply committed to creating a positive and supportive work environment for all of its employees, and takes the wellbeing of its staff very seriously.  Slutty Vegan takes its legal obligations seriously, and especially those relating to its staff. It maintains an open door policy and invites employees to express their concerns with management so that they can be examined and resolved in a fair, reasonable and lawful manner," the statement reads. "We are aware of the lawsuit recently filed in the U.S. District Court in New York, and are reviewing it with our legal counsel.  Slutty Vegan does not comment on any pending litigation, except that it is committed to complying with all applicable laws.  Slutty Vegan is passionately dedicated to making a positive impact, not only with respect to its employees and customers, but also within the communities it serves."