Portland restaurant stops dinner after $1M in fines for taking tips

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A Portland restaurant will halt dinner service Saturday, several weeks after its chef-owner was fined nearly $1 million for taking tips and splitting them between kitchen staff, salaried managers and the general manager, among other violations.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Park Kitchen will remain open for private events.

The instances of wage theft took place at Park Kitchen and its sister restaurant, the now-closed Bent Brick.

In 2016, a federal court ruled that the practice of "tip pooling" — used as a way to balance wages between higher-paid restaurant servers and cooks — was illegal. That year, Scott Dolich eliminated tipping.

The Multnomah County case shows that Park Kitchen and Bent Brick management retaliated against at least one employee who complained about the tip pool.

The jury awarded Holly Rice $50,000 in non-economic damages.