File a claim online or mail a paper claim form, postmarked by October 23, 2026, to collect your share of the Pineda Inn Bar & Grill wage settlement. The settlement resolves a lawsuit accusing the restaurant's operator of shortchanging tipped workers under Florida's minimum wage law. IR Tiki LLC, doing business as Pineda Inn Bar & Grill, agreed to pay $120,000 to settle claims that it applied a tip credit to its servers and other tipped staff without paying them the full minimum wage Florida law requires, according to OpenClassActions.
The case, *Zoe Purvis-Wolf v. IR Tiki, LLC d/b/a Pineda Inn Bar & Grill and Sandeep Patel, individually*, is pending as No. 05-2025-CA-028369 in the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court for Brevard County, Florida, according to AllAboutLawyer.
Official resources:
- Read the official notice from Openclassactions — Use this primary source to verify the official announcement.
- Read the official notice from Allaboutlawyer — Use this primary source to verify the official announcement.
Table of Contents
- Who Qualifies for a Payment
- How Much You Can Recover
- How to File Your Claim
- What Happens If You Want to Opt Out or Object
- When Payments Will Actually Go Out
- Frequently Asked Questions
Who Qualifies for a Payment
You're eligible if you worked as tipped staff at Pineda Inn Bar & Grill and had a tip credit applied to your pay between April 2021 and August 2023, per OpenClassActions. A tip credit lets an employer count a portion of a worker's tips toward meeting the minimum wage, paying a lower direct hourly rate as a result. If you held a serving, bartending, or similar tipped position at the restaurant during that roughly two-and-a-half-year window, you fall within the class the settlement covers.
How Much You Can Recover
Claimants who submit a valid claim can recover $2.00 for each hour of non-tipped work they performed during the covered period while a tip credit was applied to their pay, according to AllAboutLawyer. Non-tipped work might include tasks like cleaning, prep, or other side duties that don't directly generate tips.
There's no stated minimum or maximum payment per person — your total depends on how many qualifying hours you logged. The fund itself is capped at $120,000 for everyone combined, and if approved claims add up to more than that, the settlement administrator will reduce every payment on a pro rata basis, per OpenClassActions. That means your actual check could be smaller than a straight hours-times-$2.00 calculation if participation runs high.
How to File Your Claim
You have two ways to submit a claim: online, or by mailing a paper claim form. Both options must be completed, or the paper form postmarked, by October 23, 2026 to receive payment, according to AllAboutLawyer.
- Confirm your eligibility dates: April 2021 through August 2023, with a tip credit applied to your pay.
- Submit your claim online or mail the paper form before the October 23, 2026 deadline.
- Do this through the official claims site, pinedainnsettlement.com — verify that exact domain before entering any personal information, since third-party aggregator pages are not the place to submit a claim, per AllAboutLawyer.
- Keep a copy of whatever you submit, along with any confirmation you receive.
What Happens If You Want to Opt Out or Object
If you'd rather preserve your right to sue separately, or you disagree with some part of the deal, you have until November 3, 2026 to opt out of or object to the settlement, according to AllAboutLawyer. Opting out means giving up your share of the $120,000 fund in exchange for keeping the option to pursue your own claim. Staying in the class and filing a claim is the straightforward path for most eligible workers, since it requires no litigation and guarantees a payment once the settlement is approved.
When Payments Will Actually Go Out
A Brevard County judge will hold a final approval hearing on November 17, 2026 at 2:15 p.m. via Zoom, and no payments will be issued until that approval is final and any appeals are resolved, per AllAboutLawyer.
That means even claimants who file right away shouldn't expect a check before the hearing date, and a longer wait is possible if anyone appeals the approval. IR Tiki LLC and Sandeep Patel deny any wrongdoing, and the court has not ruled on the merits of the wage claims; the settlement lets both sides avoid the cost and risk of continuing the litigation, according to OpenClassActions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if the total claims exceed the $120,000 settlement fund?
The settlement administrator reduces every approved payment on a pro rata basis so the total stays within the $120,000 cap, according to OpenClassActions.
Where should I go to file my claim?
Use the official claims site, pinedainnsettlement.com, and confirm that exact domain before entering personal information rather than relying on a third-party aggregator page, per AllAboutLawyer.
Can I still sue on my own instead of filing a claim?
Yes, if you opt out by the November 3, 2026 deadline, though doing so forfeits your share of the settlement fund, according to AllAboutLawyer.