Feds say a Pittsburgh North Side restaurant stole $41K in tips from its workers
On Dec. 1, federal investigators for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division said a restaurant on Pittsburgh’s North Side violated the fair labor standards by illegally forcing workers to share tips to pay managers, supervisors, and other employees not usually tipped by customers.
According to Wage and Hour Division District Director John DuMont, Provision PGH LLC, which is a restaurant housed inside the Federal Galley food hall, deceived employees by holding tips and not complying with the tip credit rules set in the Fair Labor Standards Act, and did so to the tune of $41,000 of the restaurant’s 12 employees.
“Tipped employees, such as cashiers, had their tips seized in order to pay the wages of non-tipped employees, including managers,” read a Department of Labor news release. “The employer used a portion of the pooled tips to pay part of the salaries of managers.”
Provision PGH has yet to release a statement on the matter.
“Restaurant workers are essential workers who depend on their tips to earn a living,” DuMont said to TribLive. “They should be paid every penny of their hard-earned wages.”
Read more: https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/feds-say-a-north-side-restaurant-stole-41k-in-tips-from-its-workers/Content?oid=20670432
Whoever made that decision should go to jail for theft.
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Those people who received these tips inappropriately should pay them back. The knucklehead who came up with the bright idea needs to be charged with conspiracy and theft along with anyone in authority who was in the know.
If the workers stole $41K from their employer you can be damn sure they would be heading to jail. 
In all likelihood, I've never patronized this place even though I live on the Northside. I have a few favorites that I visit often, but Provision PGH isn't one of them. I'll make a point of avoiding them from now on.
BTW, I always try to give tips in cash to the waitperson whenever possible. If I don't do that, I never know for sure if she/he received it. I realize that some restaurants allow waitstaff to pool their tips and everyone gets an equal amount. Maybe it's fair because not everyone gets to work the "busy" shifts, but the ones that do have to work twice as hard.
