Three former workers file suit against steakhouse chain

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - Three former workers at Ryan&#39;s Family Steak Houses Incorporated restaurants in Tennessee, including one Georgian, have filed suit, claiming the company violated federal labor law by illegally shortchanging hourly employees. <br> <br> The suit alleges the Greer, South Carolina-based restaurant chain paid servers $2.13 an hour even when they were performing duties such as general cleaning and maintenance that didn&#39;t provide them with tips; routinely required hourly employees to work ``off the clock;&#39;&#39; deducted break times that were not taken by the workers; and shaved hours in the computer system to keep costs down so managers could earn their bonuses. <br> <br> Plaintiffs in the suit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Nashville, Tennessee, seek class-action status on behalf of more than 20,000 current and former employees. <br> <br> ``Ryan&#39;s represents the worst of the worst,&#39;&#39; said Nashville attorney M. Reid Estes Jr., who represents the plaintiffs and alleged the company has violated provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for a decade. <br> <br> Randy Hart, vice president of human resources for Ryan&#39;s, said Friday the company had not been served with the lawsuit and that he therefore would not feel comfortable disussing it. <br> <br> Ryan&#39;s operates 312 company-owned and 23 franchised restaurants that feature steaks, salad and soup bars, and self-service ice cream bars. <br> <br> The plaintiffs include Erric Walker, who lives in Nashville and worked at Ryan&#39;s restaurants in Jackson, Hermitage, and Sikeston, Missouri; Steve Ricketts of Ooltewah, who worked at a Chattanooga Ryan&#39;s location; and Vicki Atchley of Rossville, Georgia, who also worked at the Chattanooga restaurant.