D.A. Bragg: Owner Of Au Jus Restaurant Indicted For Wage Theft

This is an Ongoing Investigation, Call (646) 712-0298 If Your Wages Were Stolen

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the indictment of PATRICK GRIFFIN, 71, owner of barbecue restaurant Au Jus, for allegedly stealing at least $8,000 in wages from five of his employees. GRIFFIN is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree by Wage Theft, one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, and two counts of Failure to Pay Wages in Accordance with the Labor Law. [1]

"As alleged, Patrick Griffin, owner of the popular Au Jus restaurant, took advantage of his workers and stole their hard-earned wages while they provided physically demanding labor. Griffin was allegedly vacationing in Europe while his employees were begging him for their money that they earned and need to support their families," said District Attorney Bragg. "An honest day's work deserves an honest day's pay, and we will prosecute bad bosses who deprive their workers of wages. This investigation is ongoing - if your wages were stolen, please call or message our helpline at (646) 712-0298, regardless of your immigration status."

As alleged in court documents and statements made on the record, between 2019 and 2025, GRIFFIN owned and operated Au Jus, an Oklahoma style barbecue restaurant chain in Manhattan. The restaurant had three locations: 4232 Broadway, 1569 Lexington Avenue, and 2621 Broadway.

Beginning in January 2025, GRIFFIN allegedly engaged in a pattern of wage theft against his workers. He deprived Au Jus workers of days or even weeks of wages after they performed labor in his restaurants, including physically demanding tasks such as preparing food, washing dishes, and making deliveries. When workers complained to GRIFFIN, he reassured them with false promises of repayment. Eventually, each of the workers fell further behind on their own financial obligations and were forced to seek new employment. GRIFFIN responded by replacing them and continuing this pattern with new employees.

After leaving the restaurant, some former Au Jus workers continued trying to recoup their wages. GRIFFIN often ignored these text messages, including while vacationing in Europe, and in at least one instance, blocked the worker's phone number.

Pictured: Depictions of Texts from Workers to GRIFFIN

Rather than repay these minimum-wage workers, GRIFFIN imposed new conditions on them as a purported means of recovering their wages. In one instance, GRIFFIN told a former employee that he would not be paid unless he and his coworkers returned to work at the restaurant. When the worker returned to work, GRIFFIN continued withholding his wages, and the worker was forced to leave again. In another instance, GRIFFIN demanded that a worker sign a document that falsely claimed he did not have government-issued identification. When the worker refused to sign the false document, GRIFFIN withheld his wages. Even if workers satisfied his conditions, GRIFFIN continued to withhold their wages.

After many unsuccessful attempts to recover their wages, GRIFFIN's conduct was reported to the Worker Protection Unit hotline. More than one year after the work was performed, five workers are still owed over $8,000 in wages.

Assistant D.A. James Clarke (Worker Protection Unit) is handling the prosecution of this case under the supervision of Assistant D.A.s Rachana Pathak (Chief of the Worker Protection Unit), James Hanley (Deputy Chief of Rackets Bureau), Christopher Conroy (Chief of the Rackets Bureau) and Judy Salwen (Deputy Chief of the Investigation Division) and Executive Assistant D.A. Jodie Kane (Chief of the Investigation Division). Investigator Haley Fitzpatrick, Financial Analyst Elaine Li, investigative analyst Ava Thomas, and former investigator May Dempsey provided valuable assistance.

D.A. Bragg thanked the New York State Department of Labor for providing assistance in this investigation.

Defendant Information:

PATRICK GRIFFIN

New York, NY

Charged:

• Grand Larceny in the Third Degree by Wage Theft, a class D felony, one count
• Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, a class E felony, one count
• Failure to Pay Wages in Accordance with the Labor Law, a class A misdemeanor, two counts

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[1] The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.