Echo & Rig partner acknowledges unpaid employees, promises full pay within about six weeks

Echo & Rig chef and partner Sam Marvin acknowledged Thursday that employees are still waiting for pay, estimating that less than $50,000 remains outstanding across the companys three restaurants and promising workers will receive their money within six weeks.

Asked whether the business had the money to cover the outstanding pay that day, Marvin answered: We do not. We will though.

The acknowledgment comes as employees describe bounced checks and delayed tips, and records provided by Nevadas Office of the Labor Commissioner document wage claims and employment complaints dating to August 2025.

Marvin said losses at the Henderson restaurant have strained the other two locations. He said partners and investors would provide additional funding, but he did not give a firm date for when that investment would arrive.

Isaiah Colbert, a former serving assistant at Echo & Rigs Henderson location, said problems receiving his pay began soon after he started working there late last year.

And my check wasnt going through, so I was like, OK, they wrote me a new check, it ended up going through and then it just kept happening and happening and happening, Colbert said.

During an interview with Channel 13, Colbert showed notices he identified as returned payroll checks: one for $410 dated Sept. 23 and another for $264 dated Oct. 13.

Colbert estimated he was still owed roughly $1,500 to $2,000, including tips. He said he needed to reconcile his records to determine the exact amount.

He said he wanted the restaurant to recover so employees could receive their money.

And honestly Id hope and pray that he doesnt go out of business so that he can get his business properly running and pay these people, Colbert said.

Marvin said about 81% of employees across the three restaurants had been fully paid. His estimate of the remaining unpaid amount was less than $50,000; he did not provide an exact total during the interview.

And unfortunately we dont have enough money to make the payments, he said.

Marvin said the Henderson location had been losing money for about a year to a year and a half, requiring support from the other restaurants.

He also cited rising expenses, saying wholesale meat prices were about 25% higher than a year earlier.

Asked why employees continued working when they were not being paid on time, Marvin said the intention was always to pay them. He described asking workers to wait and, in some cases, offering partial payments while the business tried to catch up.

Marvin said some business funds had gone toward rent, food and employee health insurance while employees were still waiting for pay.

He said the company was considering changes at the Henderson restaurant and would close that location if those changes failed to stop its losses.

Records provided to Channel 13 by the Nevada Office of the Labor Commissioner include eight wage claims and three employment complaints entered between Aug. 1, 2025, and Oct. 7, 2026.

The filings identify Echo & Rig locations in Henderson and at Tivoli Village. They include allegations of unpaid wages, delayed tips, returned checks and difficulty obtaining payroll records.

In a January wage claim involving the Tivoli Village location, a worker alleged missing pay for hours worked, a bounced check and delays receiving wages.

An October claim involving the Henderson location described delayed tips and wages, bounced checks.

Another October filing, submitted by a former Tivoli Village general manager, sought $3,541.69 in final wages and reimbursement for restaurant supplies.

The documents are complaints and claims, not findings that violations occurred. The packet does not establish whether each claimed amount remains unpaid.

Deputy Labor Commissioner Malia Tatom told Channel 13 that her office referred complaints involving Echo & Rig to the U.S. Department of Labor for investigation.

In an email Wednesday, Tatom said she had confirmed with federal officials that the investigation had been processed and initiated that morning.

I have confirmed with the DOL that the investigation has now been processed and initiated, she wrote.

The U.S. Department of Labors Wage and Hour Division separately told Channel 13 that it does not confirm investigations. No findings were provided to the station.

Marvin said he was communicating with federal officials and showing them that employees were receiving payments.

Court records also show a March judgment for $64,458.72, plus additional interest, against Echo and Rig Las Vegas 1 LLC, the company listed at the Tivoli Village address.

The judgment concerns unpaid contributions to state employment funds and related charges. It does not establish that employees wages went unpaid.

Marvin said the company had reached a payment agreement and was making monthly payments. Asked whether he could provide proof, he said he could.

The court documents reviewed by Channel 13 do not establish whether the judgment has since been fully paid. A June order statistically closing the case does not state that the debt was satisfied.

Marvin said the Tivoli Village restaurants temporary closure was caused by a water leak and necessary repairs.

During a walk-through Thursday, he showed Channel 13 areas he said had required work because of water damage. The restaurant was open and serving lunch during the visit.

He disputed speculation that the temporary closure was tied to the employee pay concerns.

Marvin said partners and investors would put more money into the business to help cover outstanding pay.

Asked when that investment would arrive, he said: Were discussing that right this minute, literally.

He gave a timeframe of no more than six weeks to pay everyone and said the commitment included employees who no longer work for the company.

No matter what, on record, every employee we have will get their entire pay, Marvin said.

Channel 13 will follow up with employees about whether they receive the money they are owed and seek documentation of the payments.