Santa Monica, CA: An antitrust class action lawsuit has been filed against some of Los Angeles' most popular restaurants, alleging they are price-fixing. Specifically, the lawsuit claims that the owner of Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica started the discussions over a year ago with the owners of seven other L.A. restaurants to add a three percent surcharge to bills, to allegedly help pay for their employees' healthcare.
According to the complaint, the owners of Animal, AOC, The Hungry Cat, Lucques, Mélisse, Rustic Canyon, Son of a Gun, and Trois Mec restaurants conspired to raise their prices together, in violation of antitrust laws.
According to the lawsuit, Josiah Citrin, a chef and co-owner of Mélisse, wrote an email that said in part: "We decided it would be a good thing to do it as a group usually when lots of people do things it' easier to make change."
