Workers receive around $117,000 in back pay from the former Wash Park Grille and Agave Taco Bar

Workers received around $117,000 in back pay and penalties after a city wage investigation into the former Wash Park Grille and Agave Taco Bar.

The Italian restaurant and neighboring taco joint along South Gaylord Street closed their doors in early 2025 after a long legal battle between the owners and a brief city seizure for unpaid taxes, BusinessDen reported last year .

Fifty-six workers will receive a total of $117,000 in full back pay and damages from the settlement, according to city staff.

Denver Labor, part of the Denver Auditor’s Office, investigated the case after multiple staffers complained they had not received their final paychecks during the 2024 holiday season.

“Christmas miracles are not always in December. Wash Park Grille and Agave Taco Bar workers spent time away from family and friends during the holidays but did not get paid when the restaurants closed weeks later,” Denver Auditor Timothy M. O’Brien said in a written statement. “We investigated and turned a proverbial lump of coal into a meaningful paycheck this year.”

Former co-owner Jeff Estey ignored requests from the agency for information and claimed there were no records from the final pay period, according to a statement from Denver Labor. (Estey did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment from Denverite.) The other owner, Greg Sauber, has since died. Denver Labor followed up with his estate.

To calculate the money owed, the agency then used records held onto by the unpaid workers.

A real estate broker bought the former Wash Park Grille and Agave Taco Bar property last year for $6 million. The sister restaurants became Wash Park Social, which opened in April, and Provecho Tacos & Tequila, which has yet to open.

Wage theft complaints can be submitted to Denver Labor through email, phone or on its website. Complaints can be fully anonymous.

Denver voters are set to approve Referred Question 2H , which would allow the city auditor’s office to enforce wage theft laws in perpetuity.