Were Your Tips
Stolen?
Get Them Back.
A federal FLSA lawsuit has been filed against Wagyu House Atlanta and parent company Chubby Group for operating an illegal tip pool that diverted tip funds to management and ownership. If you worked as a server, captain, or tipped employee at Wagyu House Atlanta, Chubby Cattle Duluth, Chubby Cattle Atlanta, or Chubby Cattle Shabu Duluth, you may be owed significant back pay, stolen tips, and liquidated damages.
Who Can Join This Lawsuit
You may be entitled to recover stolen tips and unpaid wages from Chubby Group, Wagyu House Atlanta, or Chubby Cattle restaurants in Georgia if you meet any of the following criteria. Former employees qualify too — you do not need to currently work at a Chubby restaurant.
Servers & Captains
You worked as a server or captain at Wagyu House Atlanta or another Chubby Group Georgia restaurant and were required to contribute to a tip pool at any point since September 30, 2024.
Tip Pool Contributors
You were required to contribute a percentage of your food or alcohol sales — initially 8–10%, later raised to 9.5–11% — to a mandatory tip pool operated by Chubby Group or any of its Georgia restaurants.
Sub-Minimum Wage Workers
You were paid a “tip credit” wage of $3.00 per hour (below the federal minimum wage of $7.25) while simultaneously being required to participate in the tip pool. You are owed the wage difference for every hour worked.
Current & Former Employees
You worked at any Chubby Group Georgia restaurant as a tipped employee at any time from September 30, 2024 through the present. You do not need to be currently employed to participate.
Other Chubby Group Georgia Locations
You worked at Chubby Cattle Duluth, Chubby Cattle Atlanta, or Chubby Cattle Shabu Duluth — also owned and operated by Chubby Group — and experienced similar tip pool or wage practices.
Fear of Retaliation?
Federal law prohibits retaliation against employees who assert their FLSA rights. You are protected whether you are currently employed or have already left. Your participation is confidential.
Which Restaurants Are Covered?
This lawsuit alleges that Chubby Group was a joint employer that controlled wages and tip pool policies at Wagyu House Atlanta. Similar illegal conduct may be occurring at the other Chubby Group Georgia restaurants. If you worked at any of these locations, you may have a claim.
Wagyu House Atlanta
1042 Northside Drive, Suite 1300
Atlanta, GA 30318
Operating as Chubby Cattle The Interlock Atlanta LLC
Chubby Cattle Duluth
Duluth, Georgia
Owned and operated by Chubby Group. Policies and management directed from the same corporate umbrella.
Chubby Cattle Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Owned and operated by Chubby Group. Subject to the same corporate employment and compensation policies.
Chubby Cattle Shabu Duluth
Duluth, Georgia
Owned and operated by Chubby Group. Part of the same enterprise controlling wage practices.
Important: Chubby Group is a national restaurant holding company operating 40+ locations. The lawsuit alleges that employment and tip pool policies are set and directed at the corporate level by Chubby Group, making it a joint employer of all Georgia restaurant workers. This means workers across all Georgia Chubby Group brands may have claims — not just Wagyu House Atlanta employees.
What Chubby Group Is Accused Of
A federal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia outlines a systematic pattern of illegal tip pool practices, tip theft, tip credit violations, and wage violations at Wagyu House Atlanta — owned and operated by Chubby Group — beginning September 30, 2024.
September 30, 2024 — Ongoing
Mandatory Tip Pool Instituted
Defendants required all servers to contribute a percentage of their food and alcohol sales to a centralized tip pool. Servers were told the funds went to kitchen workers, hostesses, bussers, and food runners.
Escalating Contributions
Tip Pool Rates Repeatedly Raised
The contribution rate started at 8% of food sales and 10% of alcohol sales, was then raised to 9.5% food / 10% alcohol, and later again to 11% food / 10% alcohol — taking an increasing bite out of servers’ earnings.
The Core Fraud
Funds Diverted to Management & Owners
According to the lawsuit, Defendants did not distribute tip pool proceeds as promised. Instead, funds that were supposed to go to kitchen workers were retained by Defendants themselves and by salaried, exempt managers — a practice expressly prohibited under federal law.
Additional Violation
Illegal Use of the Tip Credit
For part of the relevant period, Defendants paid certain servers only $3.00 per hour — below the $7.25 federal minimum wage — by claiming the FLSA’s “tip credit.” But under federal law, an employer operating an illegal tip pool is not permitted to take the tip credit. This means affected servers are owed the full minimum wage for every hour worked.
Why It's Willful
Defendants Actively Concealed the Violations
The complaint alleges that Defendants actively misrepresented how tip pool funds were distributed, making this a willful violation of the FLSA. Willful violations extend the statute of limitations to three years and entitle workers to double damages.
What You Could Recover
The FLSA is a powerful federal law protecting restaurant workers from illegal tip pools, tip theft, minimum wage violations, and unlawful tip credit practices. Workers who join this lawsuit against Chubby Group and Wagyu House Atlanta may be entitled to recover:
All Stolen Tips
A full refund of every dollar you contributed to the illegal tip pool from September 30, 2024 through today.
Liquidated (Double) Damages
Under the FLSA, employees who prevail in willful violation cases are entitled to an equal additional amount in liquidated damages — effectively doubling the recovery.
Minimum Wage Back Pay
If you were paid $3.00/hour under the tip credit while the illegal tip pool was in place, you can recover the difference between $3.00 and the $7.25 federal minimum wage for all hours worked.
Attorneys' Fees & Costs
The FLSA requires defendants to pay your attorneys’ fees and litigation costs if you prevail — meaning joining the lawsuit costs you nothing out of pocket.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it cost anything to join the lawsuit? ▾
No. Hall & Lampros handles FLSA collective actions on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless there is a recovery. The FLSA also requires defendants to pay attorneys’ fees if plaintiffs prevail, so there is truly no out-of-pocket cost to you.
Can I join if I no longer work at a Chubby Group restaurant? ▾
Absolutely. Former employees have the same rights as current employees under the FLSA. If you worked at any Chubby Group Georgia restaurant and contributed to the tip pool at any point since September 30, 2024, you may have a claim regardless of whether you still work there.
Will my employer retaliate against me for joining? ▾
Federal law expressly prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who exercise their rights under the FLSA. Retaliation — including firing, demotion, or reduced hours — is itself a separate federal violation and can result in additional damages. You are protected.
I worked at Chubby Cattle Duluth, not Wagyu House. Can I still join? ▾
Potentially, yes. The lawsuit alleges that Chubby Group is the joint employer of all workers at its Georgia restaurants and that compensation and tip pool policies are set at the corporate level. If you experienced similar tip pool practices at any Chubby Group Georgia location, contact us for a free evaluation of your specific situation.
How long do I have to join? ▾
For willful FLSA violations, the statute of limitations is three years from the date of each violation. Because time is running, your recoverable period gets shorter every day you wait. We strongly encourage you to contact us as soon as possible to preserve the maximum value of your claim.
What is a "collective action"? How is this different from a class action? ▾
An FLSA collective action is similar to a class action but requires affected workers to affirmatively opt in by filing a written consent form. Simply submitting the form on this page is the first step toward joining. All qualified employees who opt in will share in any recovery proportionally.
What information do I need to provide? ▾
Just the basics: your name, contact information, which Chubby Group location(s) you worked at, your approximate dates of employment, and your job title. Our attorneys will review your information, contact you confidentially, and explain your options at no charge.
Hall & Lampros, LLP — Fighting for Georgia Workers
Hall & Lampros, LLP is a well-established Atlanta trial law firm with deep experience in employment law, wage and hour violations, and FLSA collective actions. The firm has built a strong reputation representing restaurant workers and other employees against corporate employers across Georgia.
Christopher B. Hall
Lead Counsel, Hall & Lampros, LLP
Joseph Quattlebaum
Attorney, Hall & Lampros, LLP
Hall & Lampros, LLP
300 Galleria Parkway, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30339
(404) 876-8100 · [email protected]
Find Out If You're Owed Money
If you worked at Wagyu House Atlanta, Chubby Cattle Duluth, Chubby Cattle Atlanta, Chubby Cattle Shabu Duluth, or any other Chubby Group restaurant in Georgia since September 30, 2024, you may be entitled to significant back pay and damages.
Fill out the form and an attorney from Hall & Lampros will contact you confidentially — at no cost and with no obligation.
Confidential & Secure: Your information is protected by attorney-client confidentiality. Chubby Group will not know you contacted us.
Chubby Group, Wagyu House Atlanta & Chubby Cattle: Illegal Tip Pool Lawsuit
This page provides information about an FLSA collective action lawsuit filed on March 23, 2026 against Chubby Cattle The Interlock Atlanta LLC and Chubby Group (formerly known as Chubby Cattle International), a national restaurant holding company that owns and operates Wagyu House Atlanta, Chubby Cattle Duluth, Chubby Cattle Atlanta, and Chubby Cattle Shabu Duluth in Georgia. The lawsuit alleges that these Chubby restaurants operated an illegal tip pool in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), requiring servers and other tipped employees to contribute tips to a pool that was distributed, at least in part, to salaried managers and restaurant ownership — a practice expressly prohibited under federal law. In addition to the illegal tip pool, the lawsuit alleges that Chubby Group and Wagyu House Atlanta unlawfully applied the FLSA’s tip credit to pay servers a sub-minimum wage of $3.00 per hour, despite operating an illegal tip pool that disqualifies employers from using the tip credit. As a result, servers who received the $3.00 tip-credit wage are owed the difference between that rate and the $7.25 federal minimum wage for all hours worked. If you are a current or former server, captain, or tipped employee who worked at Wagyu House Atlanta, Chubby Cattle Duluth, Chubby Cattle Atlanta, Chubby Cattle Shabu Duluth, or any other Chubby Group Georgia restaurant and were required to participate in a mandatory tip pool, you may have claims for stolen tips, unpaid minimum wages, liquidated damages, and attorneys’ fees under the FLSA. Hall & Lampros, LLP is an Atlanta employment law firm with experience handling restaurant wage violations, tip pool lawsuits, overtime violations, and FLSA collective actions on behalf of Georgia workers. Contact us for a free, confidential evaluation of your potential Chubby Group or Wagyu House wage claim.
Keywords: Chubby Group lawsuit · Wagyu House Atlanta tip pool · Chubby Cattle illegal tip pool · Chubby Cattle Duluth wage violation · Chubby Cattle Atlanta lawsuit · Chubby Cattle Shabu Duluth · Chubby restaurant tip theft · FLSA tip pool violation Georgia · restaurant overtime violation Atlanta · illegal tip pool lawsuit Georgia · tip credit violation · minimum wage violation restaurant Georgia · Chubby Group Georgia wage claim · tipped employee rights Atlanta · server wage lawsuit Georgia
Attorney Advertising. This website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The information on this page is based on allegations contained in a complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia and has not been adjudicated. Submission of the contact form does not create an attorney-client relationship. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Hall & Lampros, LLP is licensed to practice law in Georgia. The firm’s attorneys are the attorneys of record in the lawsuit referenced on this page.
ES