Kin Khao Thai Kitchen Sued by Employees Over Alleged Wage Infractions

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The operators of New York City’s Kin Khao Thai Kitchen find themselves as defendants in a lawsuit wherein two employees claim they were not paid at least the applicable minimum wage rate and were also deprived of overtime and spread-of-hours pay.

The plaintiffs were hired in December 2017 as delivery and cleaning workers, the suit says, noting that one man also frequently worked as a food preparer. The men allege that in 2018, their pay rates did not increase enough to meet the new minimum wage requirements.

According to the case, the employees were paid the proper minimum wage of $10.50 per hour in 2017. However, the workers’ hourly pay was raised to just $11 in 2018, one dollar below the lawful minimum wage, for shifts spent delivering, cleaning and preparing food. One plaintiff asserts that for roughly 16 hours each week, he performs only delivery work for $8 an hour as a tipped employee even though his pay rate “should have been raised to $9.00 per hour” in 2018. On top of that, the man claims a portion of his tips are withheld by the defendants.

In addition to recovering allegedly unpaid wages, the plaintiffs seek reimbursement for $1,500 electric bicycles they purchased to make deliveries, as well as $30 per month in maintenance and repair costs.