Mario Batali Forced to Fork Over $5.25M to Waiters in Tip Dispute (Michlle Obama buddy)

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/mario-batali-waiter-lawsuit-20120307-ncx ^

[kcvl]

NEW YORK - Celebrity chef Mario Batali dished out $5.25 million to settle his long-simmering battle with workers at his New York eateries, according to court documents made public Wednesday.

[kcvl]

The class-action federal lawsuit was originally filed in July 2010 in Manhattan, accusing Batali and his business partner Joe Bastianich of tip skimming.

[HIDEK6]

I’ve never liked that guy.

[steve8714]

Lidia involved?

[steve8714]

Large tips from those Goldman types.

[kcvl]

Orange shoes

[oncebitten]

Ow! My eyes! My eyes!

[maggief]

[kcvl]

I would imagine she is involved since they are partners.

[Puppage]

Orange shoes

Worse than that...orange plastic clogs!

[Puppage]

Lidia is his business partner’s mother, I believe.

[ILS21R]

Geez... I feel like I’m living in Bizarro World. A F-ing four year nightmare.

[Dr. Thorne]

I've met Mario several times and he has always been friendly and cordial, not arrogant.

That said, many years ago I trailed at Babbo about a week after it opened and before the splashy reviews that filled the place with customers. The service and management were absolutely awful. Diners waited over an hour for their entrees. Floor management and coordination with the kitchen were nonexistent. I declined an offer of employment.

Mario is a very good chef, but likely left the business end to Joe Bastianich, Lidia Bastianich's son. They have expanded and merged their restaurant empire and it wouldn't surprise me if their management and record-keeping were a disaster.

This is not a defense of Mario as he should have known what was happening with his business. But, it's likely that he was busy being the star and had no idea what was going on behind the scenes.

[DAC21]

5.25 Million!, that’s something Mario can “Chew” on

[JoeProBono]

[Covenantor]

To those of us in the geezer years Big Mo's outfit triggers Ho Jo memories of road trips and pit stops.

For the young 'uns that's Howard Johnson's restaurants, not some Holland Tunnel tranny slut.

[basil]

Those are my exact thought—almost daily!

[Former Proud Canadian]

Yeah, but the best legs of the three.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

Isn’t Batali on this year’s “Haney Project”?

He looks heavier now than when he was traipsing around Spain with some boozer actress.

[DAC21]

“Joe Bastianich, Lidia Bastianich’s son” I guess those Chefs stick together. Me and the Misses watch Lidia's Italian Kitchen from time to time, funny thing is she isn't even Italian, she is a Croatian. I guess her family moved to Italy when she was young due to some kind of oppression.