Interior of the Din Tai Fung at Pacific Place in downtown Seattle. (Photo by Assunta Ng/NWAW)
Din Tai Fung, the Taiwan-based soup dumpling restaurant chain, has agreed to pay $567,361 in restitution to 1,245 current and former employees in Seattle, following an investigation by the city’s Office of Labor Standards.
The settlement addresses allegations that the company failed to provide required meal and rest breaks, and interfered with employees’ use of paid sick and safe time, violating several of Seattle’s labor ordinances. The restitution covers the period from Jan. 11, 2020, to Dec. 6, 2023, and applies to workers at Din Tai Fung’s Pacific Place, University Village, and Sodo commissary kitchen locations.
In a statement to The Seattle Times, Din Tai Fung said, “We recognize the importance of ensuring those policies are clearly communicated and consistently applied. We’ve taken meaningful steps to strengthen compliance while remaining flexible to our team members’ needs… We remain committed to fostering a supportive work environment.”
The investigation concluded when Din Tai Fung agreed to pay back wages and damages and take specific steps to comply with Seattle’s labor laws moving forward.