Denny's settlement

The Office of the New York Attorney General (OAG) has secured a settlement for $440,000 with Reveille Management LLC (Reveille) and Top Line Restaurants Inc. (Top Line; together the companies). The settlement requires the companies to return unpaid wages to current and former New York employees of this Denny’s franchise operator who operated 23 Denny’s restaurants in Central and Western New York (Denny’s workers). Between January 1, 2019 and April 30, 2026, some Denny’s workers did not receive the full amount of wages they were due. These individuals worked shifts that covered a 10 hour period from the beginning of the work day to the end of the work day (including lunch, dinner, or other breaks in the work day), and they should have received an extra hour’s worth of pay (spread-of-hours payment).  However, these Denny’s workers did not receive their required spread-of-hours payments. 

The deadline to file a claim is October 31, 2026.  

Overview of Reveille/Top Line settlement

From January 1, 2019, through April 30, 2026, some Denny’s workers working for the companies in New York state did not receive their full wages. The OAG investigated Reveille and Top Line and found that many workers were not given spread of hours pay. This is an extra hour’s worth of pay at the minimum wage (then in effect) that is paid to a restaurant employee whose workday totals 10 hours or more. This time includes breaks, lunch, and split shifts. Following its investigation, OAG then negotiated a settlement with Reveille and Top Line. The settlement created a fund to pay affected Denny’s workers, plus additional protections for current Denny’s employees.

Settlement fund of $440,000 million to repay eligible Denny’s workers

As a current or former Denny’s worker, you are eligible for payments if OAG determined, based on the records produced by the companies, that you were not paid for a qualifying spread-of-hours shift that you worked. 

An outside company, Atticus Administration, is managing the payments from the settlement fund. It will:

• send notices to Denny’s workers who are eligible for payment from the settlement fund
• process the payments to eligible Denny’s workers
• answer questions related to payments from the settlement fund

Benefits for current Denny’s workers

Under the terms of the AOD, in addition to the restitution that will be paid to current and former employees, the companies are required to do all of the following:

• provide all employees notices of their wage and hour policies (including the spread-of-hours requirement), as well as notices of their leave, breaks, harassment, and discrimination policies, to all management and employees, in a form approved by OAG
• revise the employee handbook to specifically mention the spread-of-hours requirement, in a form approved by OAG, and send to all employees
• revise earnings statements that employees receive with their payment to specifically label payment that is compensation for the spread of hours, in a form approved by OAG
• train all new employees, and conduct annual training of existing employees, on the companies’ wage and hour policies under New York and federal law. This training must include employee rights to spread-of-hours pay, breaks, paid sick and family leave, and annual anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training under New York and federal law, including the policies and procedures for reporting violations of these policies
• designate a point of contact within the company to review any complaints received by OAG from Reveille/Top Line’s current or former employees. These include but are not limited to: complaints from current or former employees related to provisions of the AOD, complaints related to the companies’ wage and hour practices, and acts alleging violations of discrimination and harassment law. The companies further commit to taking reasonable steps to investigate and resolve any such complaint received by OAG and show OAG how they have managed any such complaint
• agree that they will not, in any manner, discriminate or retaliate against any of their employees. These employees include, but are not limited to, employees or former employees who cooperated or are perceived to have cooperated with OAG’s investigation of this matter. The companies agree not to discharge, refuse to hire, or take any adverse action against any of these employees except for legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons unrelated to the OAG Investigation. The companies also agree not to discriminate or retaliate against any of these employees for any past, present, or future participation in activities involving the exercise of their legal rights under New York or federal law

Frequently asked questions about the Reveille/Top Line settlement

Do I qualify for a settlement payment?

You may qualify if you worked a workday in New York state between January 1, 2019, through April 30, 2026, where both of the following are true: 

• From start to finish (including breaks, lunch, and split shifts), your workday totaled more than 10 hours.
• You were not paid for an additional hour at the minimum wage that was in effect at the time for that workday.

The Attorney General is working with the companies to create a list of current and former workers who may qualify. 

To determine the award for each affected worker, OAG has reviewed the records produced by the companies. The OAG will calculate each worker’s share as a percentage of the total settlement fund that the companies have agreed to pay. 
If you think you qualify, but do not receive a claim number, contact the settlement administrator, Atticus Administration:

• email: info@NYDennysSettlement.com
• Call Atticus Administration at 1-800-201-1051

When and how can I file a claim?

The claims process is expected to open in August 2026. The deadline to file is October 31, 2026. Distributions will be made throughout 2026. 

If you are eligible for a settlement payment, you will receive a notice with a claim form by mail, email, or text message. Your notice will have a unique claim ID number. 

You can fill out the claim form and mail it to Atticus, or complete the claim process online. The Atticus website for the settlement will have links on the top right to the claim form. Enter your claimant ID and last name, as instructed in your notice to file your claim. 

All of the information about filing a claim will also be available in the FAQs on the Atticus website under "You can file your claim here.”

To make a claim for payment owed to a current or former employee who is deceased, contact Atticus by October 31, 2026. You may get an extension to file all the necessary forms.