An upmarket California restaurant took thousands of dollars in tips from staff to fund business expenses, a federal lawsuit claims

• A California restaurant "misappropriated" thousands of dollars in tips to fund business expenses, the DOL claims.
• The restaurant deposited tips into its business account and gave a portion to staff each week, the DOL claims.
• The DOL accused it of violating the Fair Labor Standards Act. It's seeking $500,000 for staff.

A French restaurant in Pasadena, California took thousands of dollars in tips from servers, runners, and bartenders and "misappropriated" them to fund business expenses, the Department of Labor has claimed in a lawsuit.

The DOL filed a lawsuit against 2 Poto, the operators of Entre Nous French Bistro, saying the company violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. It's seeking $500,000 for affected staff.