Yosselin Cortés, a manager at the now-shuttered Otium, first noticed last year that something was amiss at the celebrated downtown L.A. restaurant when produce and wine vendors came to her asking why they hadn’t been paid.
Upper management told her that Otium— the ambitious showcase restaurant opened in partnership with the Broad museum in 2015 and with investment from billionaire Eli Broad, who died in 2021 — was struggling. They assured her the moment would pass. A few months ago, however, the situation worsened.
Workers told Cortés that their paychecks had bounced. Equipment — including a pasta maker and lighting — went unrepaired for long stretches. One time, she said, the restaurant was so slow they closed for the weekend.
But Cortés never imagined, she said, that the Otium’s owners would stiff her on her last paycheck after the restaurant closed on Sept. 8. She wasn’t the only one.
“It’s heartbreaking to see how they are treating their staff,” she said. On Wednesday, about a dozen former Otium workers picketed in front of the empty restaurant, holding handmade signs that read, “Overworked. Never Paid” and “14 days late.
” They marched down Grand Avenue, in sight of the Broad museum, Disney Hall and L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art, chanting “Wage theft is a crime.
Pay your workers for their time.” About a month before it shuttered, Otium’s owners announced on Instagram that it would close for good after nine years in business, s.