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The Cake Bake Shop, a luxury bakery and restaurant concept founded in Indianapolis, has settled lawsuits with seven former employees who accused the restaurant of improper wage practices at its Orlando, Florida, location while four similar lawsuits filed by former employees are pending resolution.
The 11 complaints focus on accusations that the business founded by Gwendolyn Rogers paid less than minimum wage for work, circumvented the Florida Minimum Wage Act and charged employees for shoe purchases and uniform cleaning.
Nine of the lawsuits were filed in small claims court, where former employees each sought or seek a range of $2,501 to $8,000 in damages. Two lawsuits were filed in Orange County Civil Court, where a restaurant server and bartender sought or seek a range of $8,001 to $30,000 in damages.
The server who filed in civil court, Mary Howe, settled her lawsuit in November. Howe accused the restaurant of paying her as a tipped employee while assigning her “excessive amounts” of side work customarily associated with staff members who earn more than a tipped employee, according to court documents.
In Florida, the minimum wage for tipped employees is $10.98 per hour. The minimum wage for other employees is $14 per hour.
Howe listed more than 20 examples of side work in her complaint, including cutting fruit, cleaning soda machines, washing dirty glasses, changing table linens, stocking condiments and dusting lamps.
Howe also said she was fired after complaining to management about her job duties and compensation. She worked for the Cake Bake Shop, which opened in 2024 at Disney’s BoardWalk at Walt Disney World Resort, from September 2024 through May 2025.
The bartender who filed in civil court, Joshua Rock, filed his lawsuit in January. Rock, who worked for the Cake Bake Shop from September 2024 through July 2025, made accusations similar to Howe’s. While Rock did not say he was fired about complaining to management, he does accuse the Cake Bake Shop of failing to pay overtime for when he “regularly and consistently” worked in excess of 40 hours per week.
Rogers, who opened the original Cake Bake Shop in Broad Ripple in 2014 and a Carmel location in 2019, characterized claims in the lawsuits as being inaccurate and unfair.
“As the founder and president of a woman-owned small business, I have poured my heart and soul into making The Cake Bake Shop a business where team members are respected, treated fairly, and given the opportunity to succeed,” Rogers said in a written statement provided to IBJ.
“I firmly reject the false allegations being made regarding our Orlando location, which are both inaccurate and unfair. They do not reflect the culture we have worked diligently to foster over the years. I am extremely proud of maintaining a quality workplace for our valued employees since we opened our doors for business twelve years ago,” Rogers said.
Lawsuits filed by Howe and six other former employees were settled in October and November, according to court records. Lawsuits filed by Rock and three other former employees have yet to be resolved.
Attempts to reach Michael Grossman, founder of the law firm representing the 11 former employees, were unsuccessful.
Walt Disney World Resort does not have an ownership stake in the Cake Bake Shop. WDW News Today, an online platform focused on Disney-related news, previously reported on the litigation against the bakery and restaurant known for its cakes, cookies and pies.
At williams-sonoma.com, the public can purchase a Gwendolyn’s Famous Earl’s Court Three-Layer Chocolate Cake, which serves 16 to 22 people, for $179.95. Slices of the cake sold at the Disney’s BoardWalk Cake Bake Shop are priced at $22 each.
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