Minnesota AG recovers back pay, overtime wages owed to Bartmann Group restaurant workers

On Friday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that, as part of his office’s investigation, Bartmann Group has paid and will pay its employees more than $230,000 to compensate them for its failure to pay employees all wages that were owed on time.

Bartmann Group owns and operates multiple Minneapolis restaurants, including Barbette, Bread & Pickle, Pat’s Tap, Red Stag Supperclub, Tiny Diner, Book Club, Trapeze and Cafe Wyrd.

According to the attorney’s general office, the Minnesota-based restaurant group has already paid employees $98,980.94 in back wages and $66,105.92 in overtime wages they were owed. Plus, under the terms of an Assurance of Discontinuance filed Thursday in Ramsey County District Court, Bartmann Group will pay an additional $66,105.92 in liquidated damages.

In addition, the restaurant group also agreed to stay a civil penalty of $100,000 that the state can seek if the group materially violates its obligations to follow Minnesota law regarding the payment of wages in the next eight years, according to a release.

"Everyone should take home every dollar they earn, including overtime wages. It’s hard enough for people to afford their lives: when wages are stolen or illegally withheld, it’s that much harder," Ellison said. "I’m pleased that the Bartmann Companies was willing to cooperate with my Office and to make things right with its workers. I hope that the damages these employees will receive help repair some of the harm to them from not getting all of the wages they were owed under the law on time."

The settlement resolves an investigation by Ellison’s office into the company’s wage-payment practices.

An investigation into Bartmann Group was launched after it was brought to Ellison’s attention that company had laid off workers during the COVID-19 shutdowns without paying employees their last paychecks. After beginning an investigation and interviewing workers, the Attorney General’s Office discovered overtime violations in addition to the missed payroll, including that employees worked more than 40 hours per week for multiple Bartmann Group restaurants without being paid the overtime wages they were owed under the law.

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