Employees at Jimmy O’s, a popular bar and restaurant in Del Mar, say repeated bounced paychecks have left them struggling to pay rent, buy groceries and cover basic expenses. Two workers are now pursuing wage theft claims with the state. The employees say Jimmy O’s closed on Oct. 5 and has no t reopened, leaving them with unanswered questions about the future of the business and the money they say they are owed. Known as a late-night destination near the beach, Jimmy O’s had long been a fixture in Del Mar. “It’s legendary. I mean, it’s a historical building,” a former employee told NBC 7. “It’s the only place that’s open until 2 o’clock in the morning,” another former employee said. Both employees spoke to NBC 7 anonymously, citing concerns about retaliation. One employee, a single mother who had worked at Jimmy O’s for several months, said her financial troubles began when her paychecks started bouncing. “I’ve had like six or seven bounce. So now I was negative, like over $1,000 in my account,” she said. The repeated payment problems made it difficult to cover rent and even afford school lunches for her children. “I’m having to tell my landlord, you know, I, ‘I’m going to be late,’ and then they charge you a late fee for that, you know. Yeah. So, you know I was like, I can’t even go to the store and get my kids lunches for school and stuff,” she said. The employee said she repeatedly raised concerns about the bounced checks with management but was eventually removed from a workplace group chat after demanding her money. Another employee described similar financial struggles after six of his paychecks bounced. He said he was also removed from the workplace group chat. “Bounced checks. Late payments. Unable to pay rent, bills, car payment, health insurance…” they said. Beyond the bounced paychecks, employees raised questions about how their wages and taxes were being handled. They said taxes had been withheld from their checks despite never providing their Social Security numbers nor completing the payroll onboarding process. When one employee questioned management about the issue, he said he received an explanation that raised even more concerns. “‘We thought you were another employee that we had with the same name,’” he said. “Which doesn’t make any sense because whether or not it’s the same name or not, Social Security number is different,” he explained. NBC 7 reached out to Jimmy O’s ownership multiple times for comment but did not receive a response by the reporting deadline. According to the California Department of Industrial Relations, workers should file a claim within one year for penalties related to bounced paychecks or an employer’s failure to provide payroll records. The allegations cane amid broader concerns about wage theft across San Diego County. NBC 7 previously reported on wage theft concerns involving Choi’s in downtown San Diego’s East Village neighborhood. California wage-and-hour settlements reached approximately $1.3 billion during the first half of 2026. On Tuesday, the San Diego City Council unanimously approved amending the municipal code to strengthen the city’s ability to enforce wage theft laws, including allowing civil action to recover unpaid wages and overtime. The law did not previously authorize such civil actions. San Diego is joining a growing list of cities across the nation taking enforcement action to combat wage theft. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less