In December 2017, owner Ken Friedman was accused of multiple cases of sexual harassment in an article published in the New York Times. The authors interviewed many employees who said April Bloomfield was aware of his behavior, but did nothing to shield employees from it. The article included the statement that "several other employees say they also brought their complaints and concerns about Mr. Friedman to Ms. Bloomfield. Her response was always the same. 'That's who he is. Get used to it. Or go work for someone else'". April Bloomfield was also aware of her restaurant's third floor nickname, "the rape room". Mario Batali and Jay-Z, were investors, were frequent visitors and Batali was also accused of criminal behavior on the third floor.[5][6] Friedman subsequently resigned from management duties of their restaurant group.[7] Shortly after in December 2017, Bloomfield posted an apology on Twitter for not protecting her staff.[8] On January 7, 2020, Ken Friedman agreed to pay $240,000 and 20% of his profits to former employees who accused him of sexual harassment and discrimination.[9]
.jpg)
