Dave & Buster’s to pay $275K in labor violations settlement, Mass. AG says

Dave & Buster's is being cited for breaking Massachusetts labor laws surrounding meal breaks and child labor. The company will pay $275,000 in a settlement, the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office said Thursday.

Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said Dave & Buster's of Massachusetts, which has three locations in Braintree, Natick and Woburn, will accept three citations from her office. The company is accused of failing to give adequate meal breaks to employees working more than six hours, of not getting appropriate work permits for minors, and for having 16- and 17-year-old employees work later hours than allowed by state law.

The investigation started when a parent filed a complaint that their child was forced to work after midnight on a weekend and was denied meal breaks. An investigation found that employees were regularly working more than six hours without their meal breaks. In Massachusetts, businesses are required to give employees working more than six hours a 30-minute unpaid meal break where they are allowed to leave the premise. Being required to stay on-site is a violation of the law.

The AG's office also found underage employees without permits and who were being made to work later than as allowed by state law. On school nights, 16- and 17-year-olds may not work past 10 p.m.

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The settlement involves compensation and penalties for more than 800 affected employees.

Pete Thornfield, vice president of marketing at Dave & Buster's, said in a statement to NBC10 Boston that the company does not comment on legal matters.

Campbell's office investigates allegations of labor law violations. Last month it announced citations against two Dunkin' franchises over child labor violations. For more information on worker rights, visit www.mass.gov/ago/fairlabor or call the AG’s Fair Labor Hotline at 617-727-3465. Anyone with a complaint can file online at www.mass.gov/ago/fld.