Otium employees say they have not been paid after the restaurant closed

Employees at a once-popular Los Angeles restaurant took to the streets this week to protest lost wages.

Employees at the shuttered fine-dining restaurant Otium say they did not receive their final paycheck after the restaurant closed on September 8, Eater LA reported Wednesday. That same day, they protested in front of the restaurant, holding signs that read “Wage theft is a crime, pay people for their time” and carrying cards that read “debt.”

“Despite our efforts and hard work, we have not received our last two paychecks, which has caused financial hardship for many of us,” Otium employees said in a statement to Eater. “As a team, we want to express our solidarity and emphasize the importance of fair treatment in the workplace. We have made multiple attempts to communicate with management regarding this issue, but have not received a satisfactory resolution. Our goal is to resolve this matter amicably and ensure that all employees receive their due wages promptly.”

Otium, which opened in 2015, was led by former French chef Timothy Hollingsworth, in collaboration with former CEO of Wolfgang Puck catering, Carl Schuster. Located next to the Broad Art Museum, it also received investment from that entity, Eater noted. In August, Otium announced it would close a month later due to “unprecedented challenges, making it increasingly difficult to continue our operations,” the outlet wrote. That led to more sales in the month leading up to the closure, Rylee Ratcliff, a former barista at the restaurant, told Eater, which meant more work for employees. She says she owes about $3,000 to $3,500 in wages, tips, overtime and leftover vacation pay.

Hollingsworth and Schuster told Eater they were both aware of the delayed paychecks. Hollingsworth said he was waiting to hear from Schuster, while Schuster said he hoped to get an update to employees Friday.

“I’ve been doing this my whole life and I’ve never been in this situation,” Schuster said. “I can’t imagine the stress, not knowing and waiting. . .I take personal responsibility to ensure that employees are paid as quickly as possible.”

Still, it’s just an update Schuster expects, not the money owed to Otium’s employees. Several staffers also told Eater that this isn’t the first time they’ve had issues with payment; Jocelyn Cortez, a former manager who joined Otium in 2015, said physical checks had not been properly conducted in the past. (Schuster has not yet responded to Eater’s request for comment on that point.)

Wednesday’s protest was intended to highlight the workers’ plight, but it was not something they hoped for.

“Why do we have to protest to get our last paycheck?” Melissa Mendoza, a server for eight years, told Eater. “That is very unprofessional. I don’t think we should do this. And I hope we are not the target of this.”