Workers at Culver City Hotspots Juliet and Margot Say Their Paychecks Keep Getting Bounced

In a new report from KCRW, half a dozen current and former employees of Culver City restaurants Margot and Juliet allege that owner Rohan Talwar hasn’t paid them on time for most of 2024.

Both restaurants operate under the umbrella of IB Hospitality, along with Norah in West Hollywood. In the KCRW report, workers allege that the lack of timely paychecks has forced some employees to go delinquent on bills, overdraw their bank accounts when paying rent, and even skip meals due to lack of funds.

Eater reached out to Talwar for comment on the allegations but has not heard back.

Talwar opened Norah, a buzzy New American dinner spot, in 2016 along a busy strip of West Hollywood, and Margot two years later on the rooftop of Culver City’s Platform in December 2018. In 2023, he debuted modern French bistro Juliet just down the street from Margot. KCRW reports that as of June 25, 2024, Norah appears closed — a security guard stationed next door said the closure had occurred a month or two prior. As of June 27, all three restaurants appear to be open, according to Google, but reservations aren’t available to book at Norah. Both Margot and Juliet still appear to be accepting reservations online.

KCRW reviewed bank records between December 2023 and June 2024 and found regular instances of bounced paychecks for workers of both restaurants. One worker, who has been in the hospitality industry for over a decade, said they could only think of one other instance of a bounced paycheck, outside of this experience. Another said they were left without income for over four weeks during the spring. In the report, an impacted worker also alleged that Talwar has never addressed the bounced checks with an explanation or apology.

California Labor Code 204 sets the legal standard for regular pay of employees; it states that wages earned by employees are due and payable twice a month, on days designated in advance. Labor Code 210 establishes penalties using the standards of Code 204 against any operator who fails to pay their employees on time. The bill sets the penalty at $100 for each failure to pay an employee, and $200 for subsequent violations, or intentional violations, plus 25 percent of the amount withheld. In 2019, AB 673 was signed into law which established a pathway for employees to recover the penalties for themselves through a wage claim process; prior to that the penalties would be classified as civil penalties and be paid to the State.

Even with an established pathway to recovery, KCRW cited a report from the California Labor Commissioner’s Office that found the Wage Claims Adjudications Unit is understaffed and has 47,000 backlogged claims as of the end of the 2023 fiscal year. The California Labor Commissioner’s report also found that the Judgment Enforcement Unit was only successful in collecting penalties from 12 percent of cases from 2018 to 2023.

In 2020, a class action lawsuit was filed against IB Hospitality seeking a settlement for complaints that included failure to provide meal periods, failure to authorize and permit rest breaks, and failure to pay timely wages. The action combined two prior lawsuits from workers that alleged wage issues, which KCRW reviewed for its report. The class action was settled, with the defendant being ordered to pay a total of $235,000. Individual settlement payments were also distributed to workers involved in the action.

As of writing, there’s been no legal action taken by the staff at Margot and Juliet regarding the alleged late wages.

Shade Degges