Tip-pooling is illegal -- who knew?

But that's what a group of disgruntled waiters and bus boys say was going on at Del Posto, yet another legendary restaurant I've never been to. The staffers are taking celebrity co-owners Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich to court, and are seeking back wages and other compensation. From the AP:

The lawsuit filed Tuesday claims that all workers at Del Posto -- praised a few weeks ago by New York Times food critic Sam Sifton as "a pleasure that lasts, offering memories of flavors that may return later in a dream" -- were subjected to a point system that determined how much they got in gratuities.

Captains -- the highest rung on the waitstaff ladder -- were allotted six points. Bartenders came next with five points, "front waiters" and food "expediters" got four and the other staffers received smaller amounts, with stockers getting two.

The lawsuit also said staff who worked banquets weren't getting their proper share of a 23 percent service charge billed to patrons that they probably assumed was a gratuity. Instead, the workers got a flat fee of $150 to $250 per shift, depending on their role.