Fogo de Chao gauchos file a class action

Fogo de Chao's Minneapolis waitstaff filed a class action Friday in Hennepin County District Court accusing the Hennepin Ave. churrascaria of misappropriating tips to the restaurant's management that rightfully belong to the servers (including bartenders and the restaurant's meat-sword bearing "gauchos") and bussing staff only.

The suit says that, contrary to the restaurant's written policy -- which requires gratuities to be shared with busboys -- tips are actually pooled among a much larger group, which includes hosts and management. The restaurant's unofficial tipping policy also takes into account an employee's performance reviews and on occasion, the suit says, "employees' personal relationships with management." The restaurant also wrongfully does not tip anyone who is in training the suit says.

Minnesota law, as cited by the lawsuit, allows tip sharing between servers and "direct service employees," which, according to the suit, should not include management or any other "indirect service employees."

Fogo de Chao was recently cited as the Twin Cities' highest grossing restaurant.