French Laundry Workers File New Labor Complaints Against Celebrated Restaurant: Report

NAPA VALLEY, CA — Two former employees have filed new labor complaints against The French Laundry, adding to an earlier lawsuit that accused the Michelin-starred restaurant of wage and workplace violations.

The complaints were filed under California's Private Attorneys General Act, or PAGA, which allows workers to seek civil penalties for alleged labor code violations on behalf of the state, according to reports.

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A complaint filed on June 1 by kitchen server Tiffany Hogue alleges employees were required to take meal breaks before service rather than during shifts, worked through breaks once service began, and spent unpaid time changing into uniforms, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Hogue also alleges some workers completed unpaid trial shifts and that tip-pooling practices may have violated state labor laws, according to the Chronicle.

Former runner and server Jovani Ibarra alleges employees were denied wages, overtime pay, meal breaks, rest breaks, and required premium pay when breaks were missed, the newspaper reported, the Chronicle and Napa Valley Register reported.

The new complaints follow a lawsuit filed earlier this year by former dishwasher Elena Flores Beteta.

The complaint, filed March 19 in Napa Superior Court names the French Laundry Restaurant Corporation, French Laundry Partners, LP, and KRM, Inc. — doing business as Thomas Keller Restaurant Group — as defendants. Keller himself was not named.

Beteta, who worked at the restaurant from 2022 to 2025, alleges the company failed to pay for all hours worked, including overtime, and did not consistently provide legally required meal and rest breaks. The lawsuit, filed as a representative action, seeks to include more than 50 other current and former employees described as “similarly situated," according to reports.

A representative for Thomas Keller Restaurant Group denied the allegations at the time and told reporters the company complies with California labor laws and plans to defend itself against the claims. “We believe the claims are without merit,” the company said in April.

The labor disputes are unfolding as PAGA cases continue to play a growing role in workplace enforcement across California. A case management conference in Hogue's lawsuit is scheduled for November according to records.