New York State Attorney General Letitia James was in Buffalo on Thursday to announce a $440,000 settlement against two Western New York Denny’s franchise owners who failed to pay workers the full wages they were owed.
James' investigation found that since 2019, 1,900 Denny’s workers across Western New York had completed more than 20,000 shifts that they hadn’t been fairly compensated for under New York's Spread of Hours Pay law.
Reveille Management and Top Line Restaurants, owned by Arizona-based couple Glenn and Tina Beattie, operate Denny's restaurants in at least five states, including 23 locations across Western New York. The two companies are based in Orchard Park at a closed Denny's location on Southwestern Boulevard.
“The actions of these franchise owners undermine the trust that hardworking New Yorkers place in our institutions, but more importantly, it undermines the fundamental and foundational exchange that we all accept and believe in, and that is a fair wage for a hard day's work," James said.
The agreement also requires the companies to overhaul their human resources policies and practices and to submit regular compliance reports to the OAG for three years. Three hundred employees identified in the investigation are still working at Denny’s. James said the settlement includes anti-retaliation protections for them as well as former employees.
Former Denny’s employee Steve Easton brought the complaint to the OAG in December 2024 alleging the company wasn’t paying for extended shifts.
He said he began documenting every shift he believed violated the state's Spread of Hours law.
“Every violation got marked down. I kept track of all my hours on a calendar," he said, adding that he received $300 from the settlement.
Ken Lee is another former Denny’s employee who worked at a Denny’s location for over 20 years.
“I really did enjoy my job," Lee said. "I thought in the beginning, for a while, that Denny's was family.”
But he, too, found that he wasn't being fairly compensated for working long shifts.
“I felt that it was safe, until it wasn't. And knowing the things I know now, I wish I could have known this sooner," he said.
Congressman Tim Kennedy says the settlement sends a message about protections for workers across Western New York.
“It's about making sure that every working person in New York knows that their labor has value, and that there are consequences when employers fail to respect their rights," he said.
This isn't the first time the franchise owners have faced allegations involving employee pay.
A group of Denny’s employees filed a lawsuit in 2017 against Reveille Management, Top Line Restaurants and three other companies. The assistant managers alleged that the companies misclassified them as “exempt” employees to avoid paying overtime wages. The lawsuit resulted in a $120,000 settlement, with no admission of wrongdoing by the companies.
