Two small restaurant chains agreed to pay back wages to employees shorted on overtime and federal minimum wage.

Ernesto Enterprises Corp. and Jonathan Enterprises Corp., doing business as Taconmadre Mariachi & Grill, agreed to pay $275,706 to 72 current and former employees, the U.S. Department of Labor said.

Taqueria de Jalisco agreed to pay $249,805 to 63 current and former cashiers, kitchen workers and waiters at three locations in the Houston area.

Representatives of the two companies declined comment on the cases.

Federal investigators found the Taconmadre Mariachi & Grill workers were classified incorrectly as exempt from federal wage and hour rules and were not paid minimum wage or overtime. Some of the employees worked as many as 91 hours a week without overtime pay, investigators said.

Taqueria de Jalisco's tipped employees were charged for lost silverware and those improper wage deductions meant they earned less than the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, the Labor Department said. The restaurant also owed overtime wages to employees who worked more than 40 hours a week.

lm.sixel@chron.com