Denver Labor Secures $177,244 for Wash Park Workers
Fifty-six former employees of the closed Wash Park Grille will each receive $2,093 in unpaid wages and damages.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Employment
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Denver Labor announced a $177,244 settlement for unpaid wages owed to 56 workers at Wash Park Grille, which closed in February 2025. The settlement covers full back pay for the 2024 holiday season plus 70% in damages.
Why it matters
The case followed workers' complaints that they were left unpaid after the restaurant shut down, and it highlights enforcement against wage theft in Denver. Ownership refused to cooperate with the investigation, which was conducted alongside the Agave Taco Bar ownership.
Denver Labor's settlement totals $177,244, with each of 56 workers receiving $2,093, or full back pay plus 70% in damages. Denver Labor recovered $2.31 million in back pay and penalties from similar investigations in 2025, and the stub does not say whether the Wash Park payments have been disbursed.
The players
Denver Labor
Denver Labor is the city agency that enforces local wage laws and conducted the wage theft investigation.
Colorado Department of Labor and Employment
The state agency oversees labor standards and statistics and participated in the investigation through its Division of Labor Standards and Statistics.
The details
Employees provided pay stubs, receipts and tip records during the investigation, and several filed complaints after not receiving final wages. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment's Division of Labor Standards and Statistics participated, and the city seized the restaurants after they owed over $30,000 in back taxes.
Timeline
2024 holiday season: back pay owed to workers accrued.
February 2025: Wash Park Grille and Agave Taco Bar closed for good.
2025: Denver Labor recovered $2.31 million from similar investigations.
Market Dynamics
The $177,244 settlement is one enforcement action within Denver Labor's 2025 recovery of $2.31 million in back pay and penalties from similar investigations. It fits a pattern of local wage enforcement against employers that close without paying final wages.
Workers owed final wages after a business closes can pursue recovery through Denver Labor, as these 56 employees did. The settlement shows that back pay and damages may be recoverable even after a restaurant's ownership refuses to cooperate.
The takeaway
Employees owed final wages should file a complaint with their local labor agency promptly, since documentation such as pay stubs, receipts and tip records helped secure this settlement. Keeping those records can be decisive when an employer closes without paying.
Further reading
Explore more Denver employment news for context on local labor enforcement.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Denver Westword.
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