Old Saybrook — J.A.M.S.S., a popular breakfast-and-lunch restaurant on Boston Post Road, was shut down over the weekend after an investigation found employees were being paid under the table and did not have workers compensation insurance.

The state Department of Labor said Monday that J.A.M.S.S., which serves a wildly popular Sunday brunch, was closed down Friday after a wage investigator visited the restaurant and found the violations.

"The employees were being paid in cash and pay records were not being kept," Labor Department spokeswoman Nancy Steffens said in an email. "It is not illegal to pay employees by cash, but payroll records must be kept to account for the amount paid to workers, and the amount of required taxes being paid."

Steffens said the investigation followed an employee complaint. She added that workers compensation is important in case someone gets hurt on the job.

The state issued a stop-work order Friday to restaurant owner Angela Hutchinson. Patrons trying to get into the restaurant over the weekend were greeted by a notice that the state had closed it.

"The order will remain in place until the business is in compliance with workers compensation coverage and time records are in place," Steffens said. "The investigation is ongoing to determine how much back pay is owed to employees."

l.howard@theday.com