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As a restaurant owner, it is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with state and federal employee laws, such as those pertaining to minimum wage, overtime, and tips. Here is a basic overview of employer responsibilities, which every new restaurant owner should be familiar. Failure to comply with these rules can result in hefty fines from townswoman, solemn and federal authorities.

1. Minimum Wage
Minimum wage varies by state, so you will dearth to check with your local government to find out what the wage is for hourly employees as well as servers. In some states, servers have a separate minimum wage, since they collect tips.

2. Tips
Tips always belong to the employee. At some restaurants, employees pool their tips. That means that they all put their tips together and divide them up equally at the end of the night. This is completely voluntary, and employers cannot make their staff use this practice.

3. Overtime
Overtime refers to hours worked beyond the standard 40-hour week. If an employee works overtime, they get paid time and half. For example, if a cook who is paid $12.00 an hour works 45 hours, five of those hours will paid at $18.00 an hour. It is a good idea to limit overtime, otherwise you payroll costs will skyrocket. Occasionally an worker might forth to work overtime for their regular wage, to finance more hours. Regardless of their wiliness to work for their regular wage, employers be required to pay overtime.

4. Minors
The hours and job positions a minor can pressure vary by have. For example, in the State of Maine a minor may work at 15, but they can’t serve liquor until 17 nor can they pick up knives (set to wash them) because it is considered too dangerous. Minors also have very stringent hours they can cultivate during the school year. Always verify a minors majority, with a birth certificate, drivers license or venereal security number.

5. Alien Workers
Alien workers, or immigrants, are another example of where you want to be trusty and verify their worker eligibility. The last thing you need as a new restaurant owner is to be accused of hiring illegal aliens to insert for you, unambiguously because you didn’t validate their visa or work permit.