Hi Felicia in Oakland owes more than $100,000 to former workers, says city

The restaurant’s owner, Imana, said she plans to appeal the city’s determination.

The owner of Oakland’s once-famous Hi Felicia went from Michelin-starred ambitions last year to closing the restaurant in May and now owing more than $100,000 to former employees as of this week.

Hi Felicia violated Oakland’s minimum-wage laws and must pay $105,555 to more than a dozen former employees, according to a notice sent to owner Imana (who goes by only one name) on Wednesday and first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

That amount is due in restitution checks in just over 40 days.

The city claims that Hi Felicia’s service-charge policy did not “comply with the requirements of Measure FF,” an Oakland-specific directive requiring hospitality employers who collect service charges from customers to pay the money in full to the workers who performed the services.

Hi Felicia instead gave employees 10% of service charges and used the rest to supplement higher hourly wages, according to the city.

Imana defended the restaurant on Instagram this week, saying that her business model was to “have a service charge to supplement a fair-living wage to all employees.”

Imana stated that she intends to appeal the city’s decision.

Hi Felica was one of Oakland’s hottest restaurants for a short time. The 2022 edition of the Michelin Guide said: “With an emphasis on equity, diversity, and of course, incredibly delicious dishes, the mononymous owner-chef Imana has created a fine dining experience unlike anything the world has seen before, as bold and brash as the building’s exterior.”

With its seven-course menus and semi-secret supper club vibe, the underground debut drew the attention of celebrity chefs and culinary luminaries like Alice Waters.

Sluts, Hi Felicia’s sister wine bar in San Francisco, is still open.