Waffle House faces serious allegations of wage theft as the Union of Southern Service Workers (USSW) filed a complaint with the Department of Labor, claiming that servers are required to perform non-tipped labor such as cooking and cleaning while being paid below minimum wage. The complaint estimates that this practice results in annual unpaid wages ranging from $15.6 million to $46.8 million, affecting nearly 90% of surveyed workers who reported experiencing wage theft. Servers often spend significant portions of their shifts on these tasks without receiving appropriate compensation, as they are paid a tipped wage that is as low as $2.13 per hour, despite performing duties that do not earn tips. The union is urging an investigation and maximum penalties against the chain, which has a history of labor complaints. This situation highlights ongoing issues in the restaurant industry, where violations of wage laws are prevalent and often go unchecked. Waffle House has not commented on the latest allegations.