Mass. AG: Restaurant fined $1.8 million after managers took money from tip pool

BOSTON, Mass. (WLNE) — A high-end Boston restaurant has been fined over $1.8 million after Massachusetts Attorney General Joy Campbell said business service staff were required to pool their tips with some managers.

The $1,813,850 fine includes restitution for unpaid wages, with some of the affected employees receiving $50,000.

According to Campbell’s office, Zuma, located in the Four Seasons Hotel on Dalton Street, engaged in this activity between July of 2022 and July of 2024.

The attorney general’s office initiated its investigation into Zuma after receiving a complaint from a worker who alleged that employees who had been promoted continued to take money from the tip pool despite their ineligibility.

Managerial staff, called captains, were allowed by the restaurant to take part in the tip pool in violation of Massachusetts wage laws, according to Campbell’s office.

The cited laws allow tip pooling for wait staff, bartenders and other service personnel, but does not allow managers to participate in a tip pool even if they assisted wait staff in serving customers.

This applies to managers on a day when they have any managerial responsibilities.