Influencer-favorite restaurant Mamá Por Dios is under fire after allegations arose that it has not paid its employees on time—or in some cases, at all—since the restaurant opened.
TikTok user @gvjuyf26 posted a TikTok in which they claimed to demand more information about the lack of payment while at the restaurant. According to @gvjuyf26, this caused them to be kicked out.
The account’s first two videos at the restaurant garnered a collective 1.3 million views. The videos were posted on Thursday.
Mamá Por Dios is the creation of Chef Misael Guerrero, who also created Culichi Town and La Conde in Los Angeles.
While the original Mamá Por Dios is located in Los Angeles, these videos seem to have been taken at the Scottsdale, Arizona location, which opened less than a year ago. Both restaurants had previously been known for the food and colorful presentation, which attracted many influencers and web personalities.
Now, however, many on the internet are upset with the restaurant, with commenters under @gvjuyf26’s videos chiming in to share their thoughts.
“How the hell they have no money when those airplane shots cost $600?” one user asked. (According to OpenTable, a shot of Avión Silver costs $15 while a shot of Avión Extra Añejo costs $70).
“The food and mixed drinks are not even worth the price,” another added.
It should be noted that it is unclear whether @gvjuyf26 is alleging that only the Scottsdale location faced late/no payment, or if the Los Angeles location also faced similar issues.
Outside of TikTok, people have taken to all forms of social media to protest the restaurant.
Mamá Por Dios’ Yelp page has been flooded with one-star reviews. Additionally, comments have been limited on both the restaurant and its founder’s Instagram accounts.
Still, some comments have slipped through the cracks.
“Food is sooo shit and they also don’t pay their workers,” a user wrote under one of the restaurant’s Instagram posts. “Y’all are such a waste of a business and food.”
Across social media, many have questioned whether what the restaurant is alleged to be doing is legal.
In Arizona, according to the website of attorney Jackson White, “Under ARS 23-351, Arizona law stipulates that an employer must have at least two paydays a month that are not more than 16 days apart. Furthermore, employers are prohibited from withholding wages (that includes issuing a late paycheck),” unless certain conditions are met.
If one is not being paid by their employer, and the total missing wages are less than $5,000, they can reportedly file a wage complaint with the Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA). If the ICA sides with the employee, the employer has 10 days to pay—and if they don’t, “the employer will be required to pay three times the amount of unpaid wages.”
Wage disputes of over $5,000 must be handled as a civil action in state court, where the employee can “seek liquidated damages of up to three times the amount of unpaid wages.”
Neither Chef Misael Guerrero nor his PR team immediately responded to Daily Dot’s requests for comment via Instagram direct message and comment form submission. Mamá Por Dios did not immediately respond to Daily Dot’s requests for comment via email. @gvjuyf26 did not immediately respond to Daily Dot’s requests for comment via TikTok comment.
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