Toledo Woman Sues Brunch Chain Over Unpaid Wages — 500+ Workers Could Join
A Toledo woman just took on one of Michigan’s most beloved brunch spots — in federal court.
Lauren Burke, of Toledo, Ohio, is suing breakfast chain Anna’s House, alleging she and hundreds of co-workers were cheated out of minimum wage and overtime pay, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The collective-action lawsuit was filed Oct. 27, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. It names 14 Anna’s House companies — plus owner and CEO Joshua Beckett — as defendants. The suit alleges the chain violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and Michigan’s Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act by failing to pay minimum wages and proper overtime. Burke has requested a jury trial.
The Toledo connection: Burke was still employed at Anna’s House’s Ann Arbor store — 445 E. Eisenhower Parkway — when the suit was filed.
The potential scale is huge. Anna’s House runs 13-plus breakfast-and-brunch locations with roughly 360 employees, and the plaintiffs believe more than 500 current and former workers could qualify to join the collective action.
Burke is represented by Morgan and Morgan, per the Free Press. The company, represented by attorney Elizabeth Wells-Skaggs, did not respond to the Free Press’s request for comment on Nov. 3, and no public statement from Anna’s House has been identified. A reminder: these are allegations in a lawsuit, not findings by a court.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
