Will Restaurants Survive The MeToo Movement?

It's in our news everyday. It was common for  over a century in the movie industry, Even our olympic teams were not safe. Now the restaurant and food industry are also offering up their sex offenders and predators. Will it affect the way we eat? Will this powerful movement bring down the culture of celebrity chef?

Kim Severson posed this questoin as she also interviewed the chefs in an article in yesterday's New York Times Food section. One of the most famous offenders was Mario Batali, he of the trendy restaurants and TV shows like "The Chew." Sadly his partner, Joe Bastianich also has suffer, having to rise though the ashes of bad publicity. He had to get rid of Chef Batali, is elevating his mother, the famed chef, Lidia Bastianich to a much more involved role.. To be honest , Chef Bastianich has more experience and a more realistic and down to earth approach of managing both the business and employees. She can easily lead her son and offer sager advice when to comes to opening another restaurant or hiring a new chef.There will be another problem when the two partners split.Mr. Bastianich likens it to a divorce with who getting what. Then there are the customers. Do they want to go back to Babbo or Da Posto, despite the excellent food? It is the same dilemma  with another trendy Manhattan eatery, The Spotted Pig. One of the owners, Ken Friedman sexually harassed his workers which got him into a Connecticut rehabilitation center. His chef and partner, April Bloomfeld is now running the eatery on her own.

New York City isn't the only town where restaurants are having their MeToo era. Famed eateries in  New Orleans and Oakland, California. are also in the news thanks to predatory cooks and owners. The famed John Besh of New Orleans is still in charge, despite the twenty-five charges against him from former and current employees. He also maintains the final say on major business decisions however that's where his power ends. Mr. Besh  had ceded it over somewhat to Shannon White who started as a server with his company that includes seven restaurants.She persuaded him and his partner Octavio Manilla to put her in charge. Her argument was that this was a women's problem and a woman has to take the lead. Men would not understand it.She set up a hotline, revised training procedures and updated the employee handbook, adding a code of conduct and a morals and ethics cause. The trendy neighborhood of Oakland California is not immune either.Chef Charles Hallowell, who got his start at the famed Chez Panisse was accused of propositioning employees as well as having a language of sexual innuendo in his restaurants which include Pizzaiolo, Boot and Shoe Service and Penrose..He has stepped aside as an investigation is now being conducted. However he is arrogant enough to think this will all blow over. As one accuser, Molly Surbridge has stated, he needs to feel the real consequences such as a jail sentence for the severity and enormity of it to sink in.

Sexual harassment has to be stopped, especially in the restaurant industry. It may close some,It may ruin business partnerships. Yet it has to be brought ot light and stopped. It has gone on too long. A new era has to begin.