Leading Boston chef and restauranteur Barbara Lynch has been accused of workplace abuse and wage theft, including withholding tips. A former employee came on Greater Boston to discuss the allegations.
Hilary Yeaw was a server at Lynch's B&G Oysters, and is part of a class action lawsuit over the alleged withheld tips.
She and her lawyer Lou Saban said rather than receiving tips, servers were paid a fixed rate for a period of two months in 2020, while the restaurant group claimed the tip money.
Yeaw said it remains unclear where the tip money went. "If you allow the tips to go through the management and they are able to decide what to do with them, technically that money isn't yours," she said.
An employee at B&G Oysters for 11 years, Yeaw described Lynch as an "absentee owner," who didn't even know her name.
The aim of the class action lawsuit is to get the tips back into the hands of the employees, Saban said: "The law is very clear on this. The tips are the property of waitstaff employees."
Yeaw continues to work in the restaurant business. "I'm never giving up, it's a really big part of my soul," she said.
Lynch was invited on Greater Boston, but declined. In a statement, Lynch said, "I expressly reject the various false accusations lodged against me that I have behaved inappropriately with employees or crossed professional guideposts that are important to me."
Watch: Former employee of Boston Chef Barbara Lynch alleges 'absent' boss withheld tips from employees
