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Simco’s must pay more than $200k over OT and wage violations

Known for its hot dogs, Simco’s has been a Mattapan landmark since the 1930s.

Mattapan restaurant Simco's shown in 1978. Photo by Joseph Runci/The Boston Globe

October 13, 2022

1 minute to read

Two Simco’s locations have been ordered to pay more than $210,000 in back wages and penalties after an investigation found that the restaurants did not pay some employees the minimum wage and overtime compensation required by law.

The U.S. Department of Labor announced Wednesday that Simco’s Roslindale and Simco’s Mattapan — and owners Denise and Evangelos Fotopoulos — violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to pay some employees the $7.25 per hour federally required minimum wage, failing to pay some employees overtime, and failing to maintain complete and accurate records of employees’ work hours and pay.

“Too often, we find violations like these in the food service industry,” Carlos Matos, district director for the department’s Wage and Hour Division, said in a statement. “Industry employers must understand that failing to pay minimum wage and overtime as federal law requires makes it harder for workers and their families to make ends meet and may have costly consequences for business owners.”

A federal court ordered the restaurants to pay $97,840 in back wages and an equal amount in damages. The Department of Labor also levied a $14,980 civil penalty.

Known for its hot dogs, Simco’s has been a Mattapan landmark since the 1930s.

“Simco’s is a true slice of Americana,” according to Boston’s Hidden Restaurants. “The young and old alike come here day in and day out, trying to grab the parking spots out front or over by the adjacent railroad bridge, while on Sundays, neighborhood folks pour out of the church across the street in their Sunday best, ignoring the potential for chili- or cheese-related disasters that can (and will) develop while eating Simco’s dogs.”