Chatham County sheriff calls out IHOP manager over alleged unpaid wages

CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - Chatham County Sheriff Richard Coleman posted a video on social media calling out the manager of a local IHOP restaurant for allegedly failing to pay employees and operating with an expired business license.

In the video posted earlier today, January 7, 2026, Coleman said he was approached by a tearful IHOP employee while dining at the restaurant on Gateway Boulevard who told him she had not been paid for her work. The employee said she had worked more than 80 hours without receiving a paycheck, according to Coleman.

The sheriff said the employee was terminated 15 minutes after he left the restaurant. You can watch the full video for yourself embedded below.

Coleman said after the initial employee came forward, other workers contacted his office with similar complaints. Some employees alleged they had not been paid for days or weeks, the sheriff said.

“As she came forward, more ladies came forward, more waitresses who were working there came forward,” Coleman says in the video. “Even some workers are now saying they have been paid in weeks and weeks of receiving their paychecks.”

The sheriff said his office has opened an investigation into the allegations and that investigators will be examining the restaurant’s records and files. Coleman also said the IHOP’s business license had expired and he questioned how the restaurant was operating in the county without a valid license.

Coleman directly addressed the manager, identified as “Victor,” in the video and threatened potential criminal charges including theft of services or theft by conversion. Coleman questioned what happened to the tip he left his waitress, which he says she did not receive.

“I’m going to send them investigators to come talk to you,” Coleman said. “We’re going to go on your records. We’re going to go in your files. We’re going to get warrants for everything.”

The sheriff said he also plans to contact IHOP’s corporate franchise office about the allegations.

Coleman said the employee who initially approached him had two children and was terminated in what he called “the most cowardly fashion” for speaking with law enforcement.

The sheriff encouraged other employees or community members with similar concerns to come forward with information.