The U.S. Labor Department cited several Hawaii restaurants for failing to pay employees’ overtime wages and for child labor violations.

Labor officials said Wednesday that the department’s Wage and Hour Division investigated mall retailers during the 2018 fiscal year and found that more than half of the businesses failed to pay employees overtime for working more than 40 hours a week. In addition, more than half of the retailers allowed minors to operate trash or cardboard compactors, which is illegal for those under 18 years old.

The department said it fined Hawaii retailers operating in shopping malls $59,523 in civil penalties and recovered $698,120 in back wages and damages for 339 employees, including:

>> $239,889 for 44 employees working at six Ramen-Ya restaurants in Honolulu, Kapolei and Pearl City and one in Kahului for nonpayment of overtime;

>> $89,565 for a dozen workers at four Regal Food Inc. locations in Honolulu for failing to pay minimum wage and overtime and maintain adequate time records;

>> $33,346 for five employees at Julie Z Restaurant Filipino Home Style Cuisine at Kapolei Marketplace for not paying overtime;

>> $76,932 for 10 employees at three Thai-Lao Restaurants in Honolulu, Pearl City and Kapolei for failing to pay overtime to kitchen staff.

The department also fined Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ at Windward Mall $7,060 in penalties for allowing four workers under 18 years old to load a trash compactor.

“The U.S. Department of Labor remains committed to educating employers and employees about their rights and responsibilities so that young workers remain safe on the job, all employees get paid what they have legally earned, and employers compete on a level playing field,” said Terence Trotter, Wage and Hour Division District Director, in a news release Wednesday.

Restaurant representatives did not immediately return calls for comment.