Bonefish Grill, Outback Steakhouse Parent Company Owes Mass. Employees $210k: AG

• Story by Joe Lipovich (Patch Staff)

WALTHAM, MA — Bloomin' Brands Inc., the parent company of Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Winebar, has agreed to pay restitution and penalties to resolve allegations that it did not pay its workers for required trainings.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced Thursday the company has agreed to pay $210,000 in restitution and penalties in connection with allegations that it failed to pay more than 2,500 Massachusetts workers for required employee trainings. Healey said the restitution will go back to 2,565 Massachusetts workers.

“Companies cannot cut corners in order to save costs and must pay their employees for the hours they work,” Healey said in a press release. “As a result of a single complaint to our office, thousands of Massachusetts workers will now receive restitution for the wages they earned.”

The company has agreed to a compliance play, through which the attorney general's office will review its payroll and timekeeping records at the end of the year, according to the release.

“Our employees are the heart of our business, and our training programs are comprised of hands-on components in the restaurants coupled with on-line sessions," Bloomin' Brands said in a statement. "We comply with all wage and hour laws, and use new technology to help ensure everyone is fully compensated for their time.”

There is a Bonefish Grill restaurant located at 99 3rd Ave. in Waltham. The company also has restaurants in Leominster, Boston, Burlington, Peabody, Auburn, Hanover, Methuen, Seekonk, Framingham, Lowell, Somerville, Westborough, Norwood, Tyngsboro, Bellingham, Randolph, West Springfield and Westwood.

The AG's office stated in a press release that its Fair Labor division began the investigation after receiving a complaint from a server and staff manager, who said she was routinely required to participate in online training but was not paid for the time she spent completing the sessions.

Further investigation revealed the company used a separate software system to track the time spent on online training software and allegedly failed to include those hours on payroll.

The release indicated that the company has since made necessary changes to its system and instituted quality control measures to ensure that all workers are paid for all hours worked at the correct rate.