HR for Restaurants Made Easy
We help restaurants transform their Human Resources department with flawless compliance, efficient training, and personalized solutions reducing costs, minimizing risk, and increasing productivity
Prevent wage & hour fines, tip violations, and DOL investigations before they happen.
The Hidden Labor Risks Costing Restaurants Thousands Every Year
Most restaurants are exposed to wage & hour violations, tip pooling mistakes, and DOL audits without realizing it. These are the issues generating the highest fines in 2025.
Wage & Hour Violations
Errors in overtime, off-the-clock work, and employee classification are the most common reasons restaurants face costly fines.
Most owners don’t realize the risk until a DOL investigation is already underway.
Main Risks:
- Incorrect overtime calculations
- Unrecorded off-the-clock work
- Incorrect classification (exempt vs. non-exempt)
- Inaccurate or missing time records
- Inconsistent pay practices across locations
Typical Fines:
$20,000 – $200,000 per location.
Tip Pooling & Tip Credit Errors
Improper tip pooling, managers participating in tip distribution, or a wrongly applied tip credit are among the top reasons restaurants face collective lawsuits.
Most violations happen silently and can accumulate for months before owners become aware.
Main Risks:
- Managers or supervisors receiving tips
- Invalid or undocumented tip pools
- Incorrect use of the tip credit
- Poor or missing record-keeping for tips
- Failure to notify employees of tip credit policies
Typical Fines:
$50,000 – $500,000+ depending on number of employees.
I-9 & Documentation Gaps
Incomplete onboarding forms, missing I-9s, outdated employee files, or inconsistent document storage are major triggers for DOL audits.
Restaurants are often fined simply because documentation is missing not because wrongdoing occurred.
Main Risks:
- Missing or incomplete Form I-9
- No system for updating expired documents
- Incorrect employee records or onboarding paperwork
- Disorganized or inconsistent document storage
- Failure to maintain required retention timelines
Typical Fines:
$250 – $2,500 per employee depending on violations.
Manager Training Failures
Untrained managers are one of the biggest sources of wage & hour violations.
When supervisors do not understand labor laws, scheduling rules, or tip regulations, they unintentionally create costly compliance issues that expose the entire restaurant.
Main Risks:
- Managers approving off-the-clock work
- Incorrect handling of meal and rest breaks
- Allowing or participating in invalid tip pools
- Poor documentation and inconsistent enforcement of policies
- Incorrect classification of employees
Common Consequences:
Increased risk of DOL investigations, employee complaints, and collective lawsuits.
Protect Your Restaurant Before It's Too Late
Most restaurants don’t realize they’re exposed to wage & hour violations, tip pooling mistakes, or documentation errors until a Department of Labor investigation begins. Our compliance experts can identify risks before they turn into fines or lawsuits.
Get Your Free Labor Risk Assessment
Find out within 48 hours where your restaurant is exposed — and how to fix it before it becomes costly.
Scalable HR Solutions to Protect Your Restaurant
Whether you operate in one state or across the country, our HR specialists deliver the compliance solutions, employee training, and workforce management tools your restaurant needs to stay protected, efficient, and productive, helping you avoid costly lawsuits, meet tip-regulation requirements, and safeguard your business from labor-law risks.
Our HR Services
HR Support
Restaurant HR support from certified specialists. We handle employee relations, conflicts, documentation, and workforce issues to keep your restaurant compliant and protected from legal and financial risks.
Technology
Restaurant HR software designed to simplify compliance and workforce management. Store documents, track HR tasks, manage onboarding, and maintain a fully organized and audit-ready operation.
HR Training
HR training for restaurants, including compliance, safety, harassment prevention, employee development, and management skills. Helps your team stay compliant, productive, and engaged.
HR Complience
Restaurant HR compliance made simple. Ensure your business meets federal, state, and local labor regulations with policies, audits, training, and corrective actions avoiding fines and minimizing risk.
HR Compliance Defender works exclusively with restaurants, combining over 30 years of professional HR experience with advanced restaurant-focused technology. Our platform delivers expert guidance, management, and consulting fully integrated into a customized solution, helping your restaurant efficiently and confidently comply with federal, state, and local labor laws—including Department of Labor regulations.
With HR Compliance Defender, restaurant owners and managers can protect their business, streamline HR processes, provide employee training, manage their workforce effectively, and maintain a safe, productive, and fully compliant workplace.
Why We Do What We Do
To Limit the Risks to Restaurant Owners
- The Ultimate Guide To Wage & Hour Compliance For Restaurants
- Fines of $154,033 Imposed for Keeping Workers’ Tips
- Fines of $41,560 for Illegally Shared Workers’ Tips with Managers
- Fines of $697K in Tipped Workers Wage & Hour Violations
- $178K in Damages for Improperly Paying Kitchen Employees and Tipped Workers
- Fines of $179K for Improper Tip Pooling
- $1.03 Million To Settle Lawsuits Alleging Tip and Wage Theft