Press Release

FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT — Today, two Nepali immigrant workers filed a lawsuit against their former employer Taste of Everest, a Nepali and Indian restaurant, for wage theft in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. The plaintiffs were forced to work for up to 12 hours a day, or 80 hours a week, often going entire shifts without breaks. Taste of Everest violated state and federal laws by failing to pay the workers Connecticut’s minimum wage and overtime, and in some instances, the restaurant withheld pay for weeks or did not pay the workers at all.

The workers are represented by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) and co-counsel James Bhandary-Alexander. They are seeking over $30,000 in back wages and damages.

“As immigrants, we know what it is like to be vulnerable and carry the stress of taking care of our families and loved ones here and back home. I am really sad to see this sort of treatment of immigrant workers like us by those from our own community. I hope by bringing this case it shows other immigrants that we have power and teaches owners and bosses not to exploit their immigrant workers,” said Dam, a former employee of the restaurant and a plaintiff in the case.

“We have been representing immigrant restaurant workers for decades in the fight against wage theft and other workplace exploitation, an issue that continues to harm our communities,” said Erum Kidwai, the South Asian Legal Impact Fellow with AALDEF. “We will continue to resource Adhikaar, and community groups like them, to ensure the people they serve know that all workers, no matter their immigration status, are entitled to their just wages and fair working conditions.”

The two workers were employed at Taste of Everest between July 2023 and December 2023. The restaurant hired them as cooks to prepare and make meals, sauces, bread, and dumplings, but the restaurant also required them to take on additional janitorial duties—without proper compensation or breaks. The workers had to wait tables, clean the restrooms, mop the floors, and wash dishes in the busy restaurant, all while continuing to cook.

“Our goal is to get the money we are owed,” said Bharat, another plaintiff in the case. “We worked at Taste of Everest from the day it opened, 12 hours per day. We brought the restaurant to the point it is now—it is successful because of our hard work .Once the restaurant became well-known and acclaimed, we were told to ‘just go. ’It's not acceptable for employers to tell their workers who were there from the beginning to leave, just because we asked for what we deserve.”

The plaintiffs were referred to AALDEF by Adhikaar, a women-led community and workers center that provides direct services to the Nepali-speaking community. Adhikaar has been instrumental in giving a voice to the Nepali community, especially in states in the Northeast where the Nepali population reached over 50,000people as of the 2020 Census.

“At Adhikaar, we have been seeing a lot of wage theft cases in the restaurant industry, even from owners from within our own community. As immigrants, it is very hard to make a living, then on top of that to be harmed by your fellow immigrants is disappointing. We plan to build off of this case and empower clients to pursue their claims—big or small—to change this system of exploitation,” said Maya Gurung, case manager at Adhikaar.

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For additional information, contact:

Stuart J. Sia
AALDEF Communications Director
212.966.5932 x203
ssia@aaldef.org