He denies doing everything which he will not do again.
Joe Bastianich sounds like a seriously low class scum bag. Skimming tips off the tops from employees?!?!? WOW! And to claim that bus boys are making 70,80,90k a year? He is seriously smoking crack. Line cooks are lucky if they make $16/hour. Pretty much everything he said in that article is so riddled with bullshit I am not sure how he can breathe. A restaurant creating 1,000 jobs? hahahahahahahhahaha. Maybe if everyone only works a half hour. But we already know that is BS because he did not pay overtime. But WOW, to skim others money off the top and then to call the ones he is stealing from greedy? Only two words come to mind: DOUCHE BAG.
Not sure what to think about Mario Batali.
“Batali and Bastianich have now paid out almost $6.5 million to aggrieved employees this year, after settling a separate lawsuit for $5.25 million back in March.”
How much money can a successful restaurant make???
their insurance covers it.
Mario came from upper middle class, and married into money. They also own something like 20 restaurants
In my opinion, a fine seems like he got off easy.
The lawsuit against Mr. Batali, filed in 2010, said that he and a partner, Joseph Bastianich, and their restaurants had a policy of deducting an amount equivalent to 4 to 5 percent of total wine sales at the end of each night from the tip pool and keeping the money.
One bartender was told that “it was a policy across the Batali restaurant group” and that the money “went to the house,” a judge, Richard J. Holwell, wrote in a ruling last May. At Tarry Lodge, in Port Chester, N.Y., a spreadsheet divided a night’s tips among waiters and documented a 4 percent deduction, Judge Holwell noted. At one staff meeting, an executive “refused to justify the policy and said it was not going to change,” the judge wrote.
Employees were told the money was to cover expenses related to wine research and to cover broken glassware, the judge added. He made no findings on the merits of the case.
Other Batali restaurants named in the suit included Babbo, Del Posto, Casa Mono, Bar Jamón, Esca, Lupa and Otto, all in Manhattan.
Perhaps, Eataly should be re-named as “Eat Me”.
haha. It’s not often but I agree with you Victor. No doubt Mr. Batali is a very talented chef but it stops there.
Back when the Food Network actually had some good cooking shows, Batali’s was informative even though he always poked fun at French cuisine and technique.
I have long said that B & B were scumbags. This proves it yet again. They never seem to learn from their mistakes.
Their next restaurant should be called Glass Houses.
Eataly is a good place…to use the bathroom.