November 26, 2008 / Brooklyn news / Bay Ridge

Opera chef: Basta!

By Zeke Faux

for The Brooklyn Paper

The aria-loving owner of Dyker Heights’ da Tommaso restaurant sang a different tune in a Brooklyn federal court this month, amid charges that he stiffed his own workers.

Restaurateur Thomas Verdillo — known for singing opera to the delight of guests — has settled with the federal Department of Labor, which accused him of failing to pay more than $20,000 in overtime to three employees over a two-year period ending this August.

Brooklyn Conservatory

In the Nov. 13 settlement, Verdillo neither admitted nor denied the charges — but the singing chef did agree to cough up the back pay.

The feds were satisfied.

“Employers of low-wage workers should be well aware of their obligation under the law to pay their employees properly for all hours worked,” Philip Jacobson, a Labor official, said in a statement.

Besides forcing Verdillo to pay the back wages promptly, the settlement also requires the restaurant, which is at the corner of 86th and Bay Eighth streets, to advise employees of their minimum wage and overtime rights in Spanish.

Verdillo declined to comment when contacted by The Brooklyn Paper.

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