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A restaurant owner’s note to staff threatening to withhold wages has horrified the internet, with many questioning its legality.
Reddit user ChefVinyl from Port Townsend, Washington, has taken to social media to share a picture of the printed note that his 36-year-old girlfriend received from Hank, the owner of the restaurant she worked at. The printed correspondence, that was sent out on July 16, 2026, was directed to “all employees” regarding the importance of clocking out after a shift.
Hank’s note explained that there has been “an issue with employees forgetting to clock out” once they finish. As it is the employee’s responsibility to clock out, moving forward, anyone who forgets to do so “will not be paid for any hours in that entire shift.” Reddit user ChefVinyl told Newsweek that he and his girlfriend “immediately knew” this was not legal for an employer to do.
“My girlfriend has been there for a few months,” u/ChefVinyl said. “She is a bartender who mainly works at one bar, but she moonlights at others if they need help when someone calls out. This morning, she got her paycheck and this note was inside it. Hank is around 80 years old and is kind of stuck in a different era.”
The reason for taking such drastic action is supposedly because the café has lost 80.5 hours in payroll due to workers not clocking out and being paid “in error for hours not worked,” the note states.
Upon reading this note, u/ChefVinyl shared a picture of it on Reddit on the r/antiwork thread. The caption alongside the image suggests that Hank “thinks that this is legal,” much to u/ChefVinyl horror.
In just a matter of days, the Reddit post has generated over 9,700 votes and 800 comments at the time of writing.
Hank’s note has certainly divided opinion, with other members of the team reportedly trying to speak with the owner about this questionable action. As a result, u/ChefVinyl tells Newsweek that his girlfriend “will not be working there anymore” because this was a step too far.
He continued: “Anywhere I’ve worked, people forget to clock out sometimes and there are usually safeguards in place, such as automatically being clocked out at four a.m. and then someone will catch it during payroll.”
In the days since the note was shared online, hundreds of Reddit users have taken to the comment to share their thoughts.
One response reads: “Management seriously needs to require a license that includes a test on labor law.”
Another Reddit user wrote: “The cafe will lose more than just hours if they do this.”
While another commenter added: “Documentary evidence of intent to commit wage theft!”
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Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Charlotte Nisbet and Emma Lee-Sang
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