China Buffet wage and hour record at a glance
China Buffet appears in 5 concluded Wage and Hour Division investigations in California, closed between Feb 26, 2009 and Mar 29, 2017. 4 of them found violations, 107 in all, and the employer agreed to pay $54,706 in back wages to 70 workers, plus $6,622 in civil money penalties. Of the back wages, $30,437 was unpaid overtime and $24,270 unpaid minimum wage under the federal standard. The largest single case closed Nov 17, 2010 in Citrus Heights with $17,904 for 43 workers. The Division flagged one case as repeat or willful. That places the employer at #1,764 of 23,910 California employers in the database by back wages.
Industry as coded by the Division: Full-Service Restaurants. Laws involved: FLSA.
Every case, newest first
| Case closed | Period investigated | City | Findings | Back wages | Workers paid | Penalties | Laws |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29, 2017 | Nov 2015 to Mar 2017 | Citrus Heights | no violations found | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jul 19, 2015 | Jul 2013 to Jul 2015 | Torrance | 21 violations | $15,575 | 17 | 0 | FLSA |
| Feb 29, 2012 | Mar 2010 to Feb 2012 | Citrus Heights | 12 violations | $16,115 | 7 | 0 | FLSA |
| Nov 17, 2010 | Nov 2008 to Nov 2010 | Citrus Heights | 69 violations repeat | $17,904 | 43 | $6,622 | FLSA |
| Feb 26, 2009 | Nov 2007 to Feb 2009 | Citrus Heights | 5 violations | $5,112 | 3 | 0 | FLSA |
Also filed as: C&B CO., INC.; C&B Co Inc.; C&B Co., Inc. dba China Buffet; CB Restaurant Inc; Liang Jiang Enterprises, Inc.
Local pages: Torrance employment lawyer.
How to read this record
Each row is one federal investigation. Period investigated is the span of payroll the Division reviewed, usually two years back from the complaint. Back wages is what the employer agreed to pay for that period at the federal rate; penalties went to the government, not to workers.
Back wages computed under the federal law are usually a fraction of the California number for the same hours: the state minimum is $16.90 in 2026, overtime starts after 8 hours in a day, and each missed meal or rest period adds an hour of pay. Workers paid in these cases may still be owed that difference, and the federal release form covers only the federal claim.
Full explainer: what a Labor Department case is, and what it is not.
If you work, or worked, at China Buffet
Pull together your pay stubs and your own record of hours for the last three years, request your pay records in writing (the employer has 21 days under Labor Code 226), and keep any WH-58 receipt from a Labor Department payment. A free review tells you in one call whether the California numbers exceed what was paid, whether break premiums and waiting time penalties apply, and whether anything that happened after you complained counts as retaliation. Call (800) 371-3088 or send your stubs.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division enforcement database, California cases. Record last checked Oct 30, 2026. Back to the wage theft tracker.
About this data: Cases come from the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division enforcement database (WHD compliance actions concluded since fiscal year 2005, California employers only), published by the Department of Labor and reloaded here every month. "Back wages" are amounts the employer agreed to pay at the close of the investigation; "penalties" are civil money penalties assessed. An investigation that found no violation is listed as such. The database does not include California Labor Commissioner cases or private lawsuits. This page is general information, not legal advice about your situation.