Tacolicious to Settle Workers’ Lawsuit With a $900,000 Payout

Another Bay Area restaurant has been accused of withholding wages, among other claims. Popular taco chain Tacolicious was sued by two line cooks in 2015 for improper compensation, inaccurate wage statements, illegal deductions, and failure to pay out for overtime and when employees left the restaurant. This week, Tacolicious owner Joe Hargrave chose to settle, paying $900,000 in the process.

“We love our people and take great care of our people. The way we have to make these deals is that I can’t talk about them, so it’s kind of indefensible,” Hargrave told Eater SF. “But we chose to settle because if we chose to fight it, we’d go out of business. There’s nothing we can do about it. So it is what it is, but things aren’t all they appear.”

The class-action lawsuit was represented by Liberation Law Group, who through the settlement would earn $270,000, or 30 percent of the total settlement amount, Hargrave told SF Gate. Liberation Law Group has not returned Eater’s requests for comment.

Through the settlement, Tacolicious does not claim liability for any of the claims. San Francisco Superior Court needs to approve the settlement, which is scheduled for March 15.

Tacolicious is not the first Bay Area restaurant to face such claims; Burma Superstar is currently undergoing a similar lawsuit, as is Babu Ji’s New York City branch.

• Tacolicious to pay $900,000 to settle workers’ lawsuit [SF Gate]