Celebrity chef Mario Batali and his former business partner Joseph Bastianich reached a settlement after investigation found that the two men and their restaurant empire engaged in illegal sexism and retaliation protocol.
New York’s Attorney General Letitia James announced on Friday that Batali, Bastianich and their management company will pay $600,000 to at least 20 former employees who were sexually harassed while working in Manhattan restaurants Babbo, Lupa, and the now-closed Del Posto.
They must also revise all training materials in the restaurant and submit a report to the Attorney General’s Office every six months to prove their compliance with the settlement agreement.
The investigation began with allegations of harassment against Batali in 2017 and found that the culture of his company violated the human rights laws of the state and city.
“Celebrities and prestige do not exonerate someone from the responsibility of complying with the law. Sexual harassment is unacceptable to anyone, anywhere-no matter how powerful the perpetrator is,” James said in a statement. “Batari and Bastianic allow unbearable work environments and allow shameful behavior that is inappropriate under any circumstances.”
Juliana Imperati, a former chef in Del Posto, said that reconciliation is “an important step in holding the powerful to take responsibility”.
Several former employees told investigators that they had witnessed or experienced inappropriate behavior, including unwelcome sexual provocations, unwelcome touches, and explicit pornographic comments.
The Attorney General’s Office reported that Batali himself made explicit and pornographic remarks to a waitress in Lupa and forcibly grabbed her hand and pulled it towards his crotch. In another harassment case, Batali showed an unwelcome pornographic video to a male waiter in a restaurant.
The female employee told the investigator that the male colleague made pornographic remarks against them, such as “kneeling”, and was asked if it was a “bad girl”.
Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images
Women also said that they would also receive comments from managers about their appearance. One of the managers said that they should put on makeup and suggested that they accepted by asking “Do you know you can find a breast augmentation job? You can buy breast augmentation now” Breast augmentation surgery? “
The Office of the Attorney General found that when workers reported misconduct to their manager, the complaint was either rejected or did not take sufficient action to prevent the situation from happening again.
Brianna Pintens, a former waiter at Del Posto, said in a statement on Friday that her time at Batali and Bastianich’s companies “permanently tarnished” her passion for working in the hospitality industry.
“Management often ignores these behaviors, makes excuses for perpetrators, and often uses accusations of victims as a way to avoid having to deal with a workplace culture rooted in fear and humiliation,” Pintens said.
Weekly newspaper Contacted Bastianich and Batali’s management company Pasta Resources (formerly Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group) for comments, but did not receive a response before publishing.
