Popular Toronto restaurant chain denies allegations of under-paying employees

A popular Toronto restaurant chain is responding to allegations of underpayment and tip withholding from former employees.

When it comes to Middle Eastern fare in Toronto, there's really no shortage of great places to go, and Tabule, a chain with three locations in the city known for its elevated yet approachable take on the cuisine, is among the best.

Falafels, fried cauliflower, lamb chops and flatbread are all among the dishes that have delighted diners since the restaurant first launched in 2005, but, according to a tip sent to blogTO from a self-identifying former employee, it's not quite as pleasant to work there as it is to eat.

The former employee, who remains anonymous for the purpose of this article, claims in a statement made to blogTO that over the years they worked at Tabule, they regularly worked well over 44 hours a week, the provincial overtime threshold, but did not receive overtime pay for it.

"After arranging coverage for much-needed sick days, I was denied leave and met with open hostility from ownership," they add.

When the employee tried to raise their concerns, filing two separate complaints with the Ministry of Labour, they claim that they were met with open animosity and retaliatory actions from upper management.

"These problems persisted throughout my employment and appeared to be systemic," the employee tells blogTO. "From discussions with other staff, it seems the same concerns—long hours, wage issues, and pressure from ownership—have been present for quite some time."

They also, the employee claims, didn't appear to be limited to one of the chain's locations specifically, but rather seemed to be a chain-wide issue.

When the employee's allegations were raised to Tabule for a response, the restaurant both denied their validity and claimed that such concerns had never even been brought to their attention at all.

"We take great care to ensure our employees have a positive work environment, and we comply with all regulations relating to wages, tipping and overtime," Tabule tells blogTO.

"There have been no issues raised at any of our four locations to indicate there is any truth to these allegations." 

They add that Tabule's president has attended seminars with the Canadian Revenue Agency and Restaurants Canada to remain compliant with industry standards and laws and that the chain has established an employee-led committee that oversees the distribution of tips.

"In 2019, Tabule was profiled in the Globe and Mail for being one of a small number of GTA restaurants that employees listed as good employers based on fair pay and tip distribution, benefits, flexible scheduling, and formalized HR policies," they add.

Still, the employee holds strong to their convictions, claiming that the Ministry of Labour has escalated their own complaint to a level 2 investigation after Tabule allegedly failed to respond to outreach.

At the time of blogTO's correspondence with the employee in late April, the investigation was set to begin within the next two weeks, and that's not a day too soon, as, in the weeds of he-said-she-said, with Tabule actively denying all of the claims against them, it seems as though only an investigation can yield final say on the chain's payment practices.