SEATTLE — For years, the women working inside Alan Tagle’s bikini barista coffee stands were largely on their own. They often worked alone, there were no traditional paychecks or paystubs, their hours weren’t reliably tracked, and when they failed to meet sales targets imposed by their employer, they could lose wages, shifts — or their jobs.
Now, after a yearslong legal battle, a King County Superior Court judge has ruled that Tagle and his company, Tagle & Partners, violated Washington’s wage and hour laws and awarded more than $1.8 million to 70 former baristas.
The ruling, issued by Judge Cindi Port following a multi-week class-action trial, found violations involving minimum wage, tips, paid sick leave and restrictions on the workers’ ability to hold second jobs. The preliminary award includes more than $1.85 million in back pay, penalties and interest, with additional fees and interest still to be determined.
Tagle operated five bikini barista stands throughout the Puget Sound region, most under the name Beehive Espresso. There are two Beehive Espresso locations in Snohomish County, one in Lynnwood and another in Bothell. A third Snohomish County location, located in Edmonds, has been permanently closed according to Yelp.
According to court filings, the company did not maintain the payroll records normally used to establish how many hours employees worked or how much they were owed. Instead, baristas were instructed to take their wages and tips directly from the cash register.
But that system came with a catch.
Court documents state that Tagle imposed sales minimums on individual shifts. Baristas who failed to reach those targets could have their hours reduced or face termination. Workers said they routinely gave up wages and tips to make up for sales shortfalls and keep their jobs.
The lawsuit was filed in 2024 by former Beehive barista Eilish Hoffman, who eventually represented the class of workers in the case.
Hoffman said one of the biggest obstacles was the fact that many baristas worked their shifts alone, making it difficult to know whether what they were experiencing was happening to other employees.
“Because baristas work most shifts alone, we do not always know whether what is happening to us is happening to coworkers,” Hoffman said.
That isolation, she added, made it harder for workers to compare experiences and recognize a broader pattern.
The lawsuit ultimately brought dozens of former employees together.
At trial, Hoffman and other baristas testified about the company’s pay practices and the money they said they had lost. Judge Port found the workers’ testimony and evidence credible and concluded that Tagle’s violations were intentional and willful.
For Hoffman, the lawsuit was about more than recovering money.
“My aim was to hold Mr. Tagle accountable and make sure bikini baristas get the same protections under the law as every other group of workers,” Hoffman said.
The case was handled by attorneys Lindsay Halm and Andy Boes of Schroeter Goldmark & Bender, along with Janae Choquette of the Fair Work Center.
“This case exposed a system built to enrich Mr. Tagle and exploit his workforce,” Halm said. “When an employer fails to keep basic payroll records, doesn’t track hours, and pressures workers to meet sales targets by any means necessary, that’s not a mistake; that’s by design.”
The ruling comes amid broader scrutiny of Washington’s bikini-barista industry, which has faced a number of lawsuits and allegations involving labor violations in recent years. A separate case involving Tagle’s brother, Jonathan Tagle, is also pending after the Washington Attorney General’s Office accused him of wage violations and sexual misconduct involving workers at his own bikini coffee stands. That case is separate from the Hoffman lawsuit.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
