The Cake Bake Shop, originally founded in Indiana, currently has a popular location at Disney World’s Boardwalk. This location opened in 2024 and quickly became a fan-favorite stop known for its iconic cake slices and other desserts.
Cake Bake Shop
However, they are currently facing a controversy as at least 11 former employees are suing the establishment, according to Orlando Weekly. Here is everything we currently know.
According to the lawsuit, these employees are suing the restaurant for violating the Florida minimum wage law. Essentially, all of the former employees who are currently suing Cake Bake Shop were tipped employees — meaning that while the minimum wage in Florida is $14 an hour, they are instead paid $10.98, with the assumption that the rest of their pay will be covered by tips. However, because of this, their employer is not supposed to assign them excessive “side tasks,” also known as tasks that do not provide them the opportunity to make tips.
Inside The Cake Bake Shop Bakery
This includes cleaning, restocking, etc. However, this can get a little tricky as there is no set line of what equals “excessive” side tasks; the general rule is that 80% of their work should come from tasks that can result in tips, and only 20% should be side work. This is where the current lawsuit comes into play. These former employees are suing Cake Bake Shop for violating the minimum wage law, claiming that they had to partake in large amounts of side work and were not properly compensated as they were denied the opportunity to make tips.
Inside The Cake Bake Shop
Alexandria Pope is the latest employee to file a lawsuit, seeking $4,805, including $2,402 for unpaid wages as well as $2,402 in liquidated damages. In an interview with the Orlando Weekly, Michael Grossman, the attorney representing the former employees, explained, “Our clients were required to perform non-tipped labor for more than an ‘occasional’ amount of time, which is the language that the federal law uses.”
The Cake Bake Shop Bakery
Cake Bake Shop owner Gwendolyn Rodgers also spoke to the Orlando Weekly to defend her business, stating, “I firmly reject the false allegations being made regarding our Orlando location, which are both inaccurate and unfair. They do not reflect the culture we have worked diligently to foster over the years.”
Inside The Cake Bake Shop Bakery
Out of all these recent lawsuits, all but four have ended in a settlement and have not had to go to court. Since these cases are about being fairly compensated, this is typically preferred over taking the case to court. We will continue to keep you updated on any further news that arises from these cases, so stay tuned with Disney Food Blog.
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
Considering the high price of their items, they can and should pay their employees a lot more than the $14 minimum wage and employees should not be paid pending tips (which may or not be paid). How cheap can the employer get!!?? I’m extremely disappointed in store management and the owner if this is how cheaply they treat their employees and that they think this is a fair wage. I don’t think I can continue to eat here anymore knowing my hard-earned money is going into the owner’s pocket instead of the wealth being spread better among the employees.
They charge $22 for a slice of cake, but can’t pay $4 more per hour. Utterly ridiculous.
Yep Disney pays trash! One can not live off of the salary they pay..the audacity considering all the high prices!!
I see some wage increases coming. The paying public is already avoiding this place because of the high prices, and now we find out that they don’t pay their employees commensurate with the price of the food. This is not a good look for them, regardless of the outcome of the lawsuit. This is Gwendolyn Rodgers literally saying, “Let them (the workers) eat cake.” Except they would have to work 3 hours after taxes to afford a slice. Maybe they get offered day-old or crumbs half off.