By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Famed chef Mario Batali was accused Thursday of illegally pocketing staff tips and stiffing them on wages at his upscale Greenwich Village restaurant.
Waiters Herman Ricardo Alvarado and Stephanie Capsolas reportedly sued the Iron Chef, claiming he paid staff less than the minimum wage, and violating labor laws by forcing employees at Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca to work more than 10 hours a day and more than a 40-hour-week with no overtime pay.
The staff also accused management of siphoning tips by taking a cut based on wine sales, the Daily News reported.
“It is sad to see a prestigious employer line his pockets with money belonging to the little guys,” lawyer Maimon Kirschenbaum told the New York Post.
Kirschenbaum filed the class action lawsuit in Manhattan Federal Court Thursday on behalf of Alvarado, Capsolas and other “similarly situated” employees, the Post reported. The suit also reportedly names co-owner Joseph Bastianich.
Reps for Batali and Bastianich declined to comment to either newspaper.
Other upscale restaurants that have been hit with lawsuits include the 21 Club, Le Cirque and David Bouley, the Daily News reported.
