TRS Restaurants Faces California Class Action Over 30-Minute Meal Break Violations

Q: If a restaurant rounds your break time, what financial penalties could it face for every single workday?

In California, a restaurant that rounds break time in a way that makes a meal or rest break noncompliant can owe up to **two extra hours of pay for each workday** affected: **one hour for a meal-break violation and one hour for a rest-break violation**. That rule comes from California Labor Code section 226.7(c). The payment must be made at the worker’s **regular rate of compensation**, not just the base hourly rate, so it can include items such as nondiscretionary bonuses or commissions. If only the meal period was affected, the exposure is generally **one extra hour of pay for that day**. If both meal and rest breaks were violated on the same day, the cap is **two hours of pay**. The legal risk is heightened because the California Supreme Court in **Donohue v. AMN Services** held that **rounding meal-period time records is unlawful**. Records showing short, late, or missed meal periods create a presumption that the employer failed to provide a lawful break. The financial exposure can grow beyond the daily premium. Because missed-break premiums are treated as **wages** under **Naranjo v. Spectrum Security Services**, an employer may also face **wage-statement penalties**, **waiting-time penalties** when workers leave, plus **PAGA civil penalties**, interest, and attorneys’ fees. In a class action, those amounts can multiply quickly across many employees and workdays.

3 articles · Updated · PR Newswire · Jun 15

A class action filed in San Diego Superior Court accuses TRS Restaurants of violating California labor law by denying employees required meal and rest breaks.
The complaint alleges workers were made to work through 30-minute meal periods, sometimes for more than five hours without a break and for 10-hour days without a second meal period.
It also claims the company rounded meal-period time records to avoid penalties, causing employees to forfeit breaks without additional compensation.
The suit further alleges TRS Restaurants required employees to use personal cellphones for work without reimbursement, citing a violation of California Labor Code Section 2802.

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TRS Restaurants Faces California Class Action Over 30-Minute Meal Break Violations

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