Denny’s New York $440K Unpaid Wages Settlement

Denny’s $440,000 Unpaid Wages Class Action Settlement

Editor & Community Manager

September 4, 2026 11:44 AM

Current and former employees who worked at a Denny’s restaurant in New York between Jan. 1, 2019, and April 30, 2026, that Top Line Restaurants or Reveille Management operated may qualify to submit a claim for unpaid wages from a class action settlement .

Top Line Restaurants Inc. and Reveille Management LLC agreed to pay $440,000 to settle claims that they failed to pay certain required wages to employees. The Office of the New York State Attorney General found these companies did not consistently pay “spread of hours” pay, which is an extra hour of pay at the minimum wage rate for each day an employee’s workday exceeded 10 hours, including all breaks and split shifts.

Who can file a claim?

Current or former employees must meet the following criteria:

• They worked at one of the 23 Denny’s franchise locations in New York operated by Top Line Restaurants or Reveille Management between Jan. 1, 2019, and April 30, 2026.
• They worked at least one day where the total time from start to finish, including all breaks, meal periods and split shifts, was more than 10 hours.
• They did not receive an additional hour of pay at the then-applicable minimum wage for those qualifying days, which is known as “spread of hours” pay.

How much are settlement payments?

Cash payment: Eligible individuals can submit a claim to receive a cash payment. The settlement administrator will determine the payment amount by the number of qualifying shifts the class member worked during the period and the minimum wage in effect. The settlement considers payments wages, and claimants will receive an IRS W-2 form with their payment.

If a worker owes money for New York child support or other judgments, the state will subtract that amount from their settlement payment. If this occurs, the worker will receive a notice from the appropriate New York agency and have 14 days to respond.

How to claim an unpaid wages payment

To receive settlement payment, eligible workers can file a claim online or complete the claim form they received with their notice and mail it to the settlement administrator.

Settlement administrator's mailing address: NY Denny’s Settlement, c/o Atticus Administration, PO Box 64053, St. Paul MN 55164

The claim deadline is Oct. 31, 2026.

Required claim information

• Online claims require the claimant ID from the settlement notice the worker received.

Payout options

• Paper check mailed to the address provided

Settlement fund breakdown

The settlement fund will include

• Settlement administration costs: Up to $40,000
• Payments to approved claimants: $400,000

Important dates

• Assurance of Discontinuance effective date: July 29, 2026
• Deadline to file a claim: Oct. 31, 2026

When is the Denny’s settlement payout date?

The settlement administrator will issue payments to eligible workers on a rolling basis within 15 to 30 days after it receives a valid claim.

Why is there a settlement?

The New York Attorney General's office investigated Top Line Restaurants Inc. and Reveille Management LLC, and found that, between Jan. 1, 2019, and April 30, 2026, the restaurants did not pay some employees at the companies' 23 Denny’s franchise locations in New York the required “spread of hours” pay. The companies also failed to provide proper notice of this right and did not include these payments on wage statements.

The OAG concluded that these failures violated Executive Law §63(12), the Hospitality Industry Wage Order (12 NYCRR §146-1.6) and New York Labor Law §195(3). The companies agreed to pay unpaid wages, implement new wage-and-hour policies, revise their employee handbook, update wage statements and provide additional training and protections for workers.

• Settlement website FAQ page
• Assurance of Discontinuance (settlement document)

Settlement Open for Claims