The interior of Cowbell Westbrook in May 2023; the burger restaurant also has locations in Biddeford and Scarborough. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)
The owners of the Cowbell burger restaurants have reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor over labor law violations that included failing to pay employees minimum wage or overtime.
Cowbell — owned by former pro baseball manager Alex Markakis and seasoned restaurateur Jimmy Albert — has locations in Biddeford, Westbrook and Scarborough.
According to the settlement, dated Wednesday, the owners admitted to failing to pay employees minimum wage, failing to compensate for overtime, employing “oppressive child labor” and failing to keep accurate employment-related records.
Markakis and Albert agreed to adhere to those laws in the future, to pay back wages of $51,775 to the affected workers, and to pay $31,346 for the violations of child labor laws and the Fair Labor Standards Act.
A judge has yet to approve the settlement agreement.
According to court documents, from Jan. 8, 2023, to at least Sept. 25, 2025, Markakis and Albert failed to pay certain employees at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
At the same time, they failed to pay some employees at all during certain work weeks, and they did not pay overtime premiums for employees who worked more than 40 hours in a week, according to the documents.
Markakis and Albert were also accused of intentionally removing hours from employees’ time records when they worked overtime in order to avoid paying overtime rates.
Maine state statute requires employers to pay time and a half of an employee’s regular rate of pay for any overtime work.
The owners also admitted to violating child labor laws by scheduling minors to work more hours than allowed, and for requiring them to work later than is legal for underage workers.
And the owners also admitted to failing to keep accurate employment and payment records.
In addition to the three burger restaurants, Cowbell’s owners also operates two bars in Biddeford: 5 Dollar Finns and The Martini Bar, both at 137 Main St.
