Patrick Griffin, 71, owner of the Oklahoma-style barbecue chain Au Jus, has been indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on charges tied to wage theft, the DA’s office announced. Griffin is accused of stealing at least $8,000 from five employees. Au Jus operated three New York City locations, including an Upper West Side restaurant at 2621 Broadway that opened in 2020 and closed in September 2025 after a Marshal’s Notice; all three locations are now closed. The indictment charges grand larceny in the third degree by wage theft, scheme to defraud in the first degree, and failure to pay wages under labor law.
According to the Manhattan DA, the conduct began in January 2025 and showed a pattern: employees’ requests for pay were ignored and numbers were blocked while Griffin was reportedly vacationing in Europe. The office describes incidents in which Griffin demanded workers return to work before paying them, continued to withhold wages after they returned, and pressured a worker to sign a false document denying possession of government ID; that worker was then denied pay when he refused. Employees ultimately reported the situation to the Worker Protection Hotline, triggering the DA’s investigation, and prosecutors released workers’ text messages as part of the case.
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