Workers held as slaves at Golden Palace Chinese buffet

[Robin Garr]

This makes the tipping economy look almost benign.

Owners of Chinese restaurant accused of keeping employees in basement of home
By John Paxton, WAVE-3 News
Updated: May 22, 2014 10:56 AM EDT

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – The owners of a Chinese restaurant are accused of keeping employees in the basement of a home on Churchdown Lane and forcing them to work long shifts with "limited freedoms."

Ming Wen Chen, 42, was arrested on a charge of human trafficking on May 21.

Officers investigating the case conducted searches at the home in the 2100 block of Churchdown Lane and at the Golden Palace Buffet located at 161 Outer Loop.

According to the arrest report, police discovered that the employees of the restaurant were working 12 hour shifts, six days a week with limited breaks. They also found that the employees were living in the basement of the home and traveled to the restaurant in a van with wooden benches, the report says.

A co-defendant was named in the report, but it is not clear if that person has been arrested.

Copyright 2014 WAVE 3 News. All rights reserved.

Saw this in (I think it was) the CJ today...IF TRUE it's pretty frickin' sick and the guy should see some time in the grey house.

I wonder of locals or chains use more slave labor?

I wonder of locals or chains use more slave labor?

Chains for sure. We all know that chains are evil spawn of the devil.

I drove by there today and oddly enough the place was open. I would have thought it would be cleared out by now. My wife and I stopped here once or twice but never were too impressed with it.

This story did make me come to a decision, though. From now on if we visit a Chinese buffet, we'll tip in cash.

If the local police had done its work many years ago when there was a boom in the Chinese buffet, they would have been busy with many such cases. Most of the victims are from Fujian area of China, entered this country illegally and work many hours to repay 'agents' the fees.
With little labor cost and cheap food cost, how did u think many of these buffet places can offer all-u-can-eat or eat-all-u-can at such low price?

If the local police had done its work many years ago when there was a boom in the Chinese buffet, they would have been busy with many such cases. Most of the victims are from Fujian area of China, entered this country illegally and work many hours to repay 'agents' the fees.
With little labor cost and cheap food cost, how did u think many of these buffet places can offer all-u-can-eat or eat-all-u-can at such low price?

Chef is so right.

It's sad to me that there are these people who come to America for the dream and they are given nothing but nightmares.

They come from the traditional China- big families. Farmers. Most are women, unable to hold salt in their society.

They easily become victim to the agents, like so many before them.

Seem fair to update this thread...

Looks like the charges were dropped and the owners of the now defunct restaurant are suing Metro Police.

Wow Steve, way to stay on top things!! I have no answers to any of the charges that were "dropped". Were they legal, or not, were they being held against their will, were they not being compensated fairly? But I will say this. It will linger in the court system for years, and whatever the outcome, the lawyers will make all the money. And, the owners will have to get "new identities" to open another restaurant, anywhere!!!

Golden Palace closed . .. . reopened as Eastern Star Buffet, with what seems like the same menu, staff, et al

There was another link here somewhere to a long article (in the Atlantic or New York Magazine, not sure) that went into great detail on the workers in Chinese restaurants, the network and brokers and how they are used, and the whole deal. One part is that the owners house employees in their basements or wherever for very little money or free, in not very nice conditions (much of the time, there are exceptions), but in this way the employees can live for next to nothing and use all of their wages and tips to pay off the travel to America charges significantly faster. From the outside, it looks like "slavery", while to the workers it's a deal to allow them to save more money and pay off their bills faster.

I'm not trying to say it's a good thing, rather that it may not be as black & white as it first appears.

It was in the New Yorker. Great article. I think about it every time I go by a Chinese place now.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/ ... 2%99s-tale

It was in the New Yorker. Great article. I think about it every time I go by a Chinese place now.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/ ... 2%99s-tale

Great article, thanks for posting!