In March 2023, DCist interviewed DCWageLaw managing attorney Justin Zelikovitz about a wage theft lawsuit in which a former Union Kitchen employee accuses the company of pocketing the tips of workers and violating D.C. law:

While the allegations in the lawsuit appear damning, Zelikovitz says there could be a number of explanations for why the house kept a percentage of tips. For example, it could be related to fees. “The big lesson is tips are stupid and complicated and it’s very easy for employers to mess it up and employees to feel cheated,” says Zelikovitz.