Welcome to blogs.villagevoice.com
Blogs
  • News
    • » News Home
    • » Daily News
    • » Runnin' Scared - News Blog
    • » Tom Robbins
    • » Wayne Barrett
  • Music
    • » Music Home
    • » Top Picks
    • » Find a Bar or Club
    • » Pazz & Jop
    • » Down in Front
    • » Sound of the City
    • » Siren
    • » Submit an Event
    • » Jukebox
    • » Join Music Newsletter
    • » Entertainment Ads
  • Calendar
    • » Calendar Home
    • » Top Picks
    • St Patrick's Day Events
    • » Comedy Events
    • » Submit an Event
    • » Entertainment Ads
  • Restaurants
    • » Restaurants Home
    • » Restaurant Guide
    • » Restaurant Reviews
    • » Sietsema's Counter Culture
    • » Find a Bar or Club
    • » Fork in the Road (column)
    • » Fork in the Road (blog)
    • » Sponsored Online Menus
    • » Choice Eats Tasting Event
    • » Join Dining Newsletter
    • » Restaurant Ads
    • » Happy Hours App
  •  
  • Arts
    • » Arts Home
    • » Calendar
    • » Books
    • » Theater
    • » Art
    • » Dance
    • » Obies Theater Awards
  • Films
    • » Films Home
    • » Now Showing
    • » Movie Showtimes
    • » Reviews
    • » Join NY Film Club
    • » Movie Ads
  • The Ads
    • Ad Index
    • Flip Book
    • Media Kit
    • » Fitness Health & Beauty Guide
    • » Sponsored Online Menus
  • Classifieds
    • Free Online Classifieds
    • Real Estate For Rent
    • Sexy Black Book
    • Virtual Career Fair
    • Personals
    • Real Estate for Sale
    • Place an Ad (print)
  • Blogs
    • » Runnin' Scared
    • » Sound of the City
    • » La Daily Musto
    • » Fork in the Road (blog)
    • » All City
  • Columns
    • » La Dolce Musto
    • » Tom Robbins
    • » Sex
    • » Horoscope
  • Best Of
    • » Arts & Entertainment
    • » Bars & Clubs
    • » Food & Drink
    • » People & Places
    • » Shopping & Services
    • » Sports & Recreation
    • » Best of Ads
  • Bars/Clubs
    • » Bars/Clubs Home
    • » Gay Bars & Clubs
    • » Bars/Club Ads
    • » Happy Hours App
  • Archives
    • Advanced Archive Search
    • Locations Map
    • Event Search
  • Reader Recommendations
  • Promotions
    • Street Team
    • Join The Street Team
    • Contests & Promotions
    • Text Alerts
    • Buy Village Voice Merchandise
    • Supplements Archive
  • Site Map

Top

blog

Stories

  • Behind the Bar

    Chatting With The JakeWalk's Ari Form

    By Chantal Martineau

    1
  • Featured

    The Chiquita Banana Sticker Gets a Facelift

    By Rebecca Marx

    2
  • Featured

    Will a Chihuahua Actually Eat Taco Bell?

    By Sarah DiGregorio

    3
  • Featured

    SXSW Restaurant Guide

    By Robert Sietsema

    4
  • Weekend Special

    Great Barbecues of Texas: Kreuz Market and Smitty's Market

    By Robert Sietsema

    5
  • Fat Pants Fridays

    Fat Pants Fridays: The Blue Stove Bakery's Cherry Pie

    By Rebecca Marx

    6
  • Chatting With

    Chatting With Eleven Madison Park's Daniel Humm

    By Sarah DiGregorio

    7
  • Our Ten Best

    Our 10 Best People-Watching Restaurants

    By Sarah DiGregorio

    8
  • Food for Thought

    Obama Administration Supports Blue Fin Tuna Trad...

    By Sarah DiGregorio

    9
  • Edible News

    Marmite: You Either Love it or Hate it... Or Age...

    By Chantal Martineau

    10
  • Contest

    Where Am I Eating?

    By Sarah DiGregorio

    11
  • Incredibly Cheap Eats

    Salt Cod Fritters at O Lavrador, a Portuguese Re...

    By Robert Sietsema

    12
  • Web-Only Review

    A Catalog of Travertine's Dishes

    By Sarah DiGregorio

    13
  • By Fork in the Road...

    Our 10 Worst Restaurant Moments

    By Robert Sietsema

    14
  • Featured

    Yelp Guilty of "Extortion"

    By Chuck Strouse

    15
 
Featured

When Restaurants Behave Badly

By Rebecca Marx, Friday, Nov. 20 2009 @ 12:12PM
Comments (2)
Categories: Marx, Restaurant News and Notes

Chef Answer No.jpg
​

In the annals of bad restaurant behavior, this past week has been a doozy. Scarcely a day has gone by without news of stolen wages, indictment for tax evasion, or just plain crazy-ass behavior. Obviously, shady business practices and shitty treatment of workers are nothing new in the restaurant industry, but with any luck would-be miscreants will take a lesson from the sins that were exposed over the past five days. After the jump, the week's greatest hits.

The latest and most egregious example of bad and patently illegal behavior came yesterday afternoon, when news broke that the State Labor Commission had found that more than 200 workers in 25 Brooklyn restaurants had been denied the legal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. One of the worst offenders was Park Slope's Olive Vine Cafe, which, according to the State Department of Labor, owes its workers some $200,000.

That news came on the heels of news that kitchen workers at Mama Mexico had filed a lawsuit against the Midtown East restaurant for stiffing them in minimum wage and overtime pay, following the lead of their front-of-the-house colleagues who had filed a similar lawsuit against Mama Mexico earlier this year.

On Wednesday, the Manhattan District Attorney's office announced the arrest and indictment of H&H Bagels owner Helmer Toro for stealing withholding taxes and evading unemployment insurance tax. Toro neglected to pay $369,318.77 withheld from his employees' payroll. Whoops.

While not illegal, the behavior of Paradou owner Vadim Ponorovsky was certainly objectionable: Ponorovsky allegedly e-mailed his employees, berating them for, of all things, not collecting enough e-mail addresses from diners: "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU ASSHOLES?!?!?! How many times do we have to tell you how important it is that you collect emails...YOU SHOULD ALL BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY!!!!! ALL OF YOU, INCLUDING THE HOSTS!!!!"

As operatic as Ponorovsky's missive was, it still lacked the visceral imagery of Neil Ganic's response to a patron who took exception for the allegedly raw lobster Ganic served at La Petite Crevette: According to an e-mail the diner sent to Eater, the chef emerged from the kitchen with a live lobster, which he threw on the table before telling the patrons to get out. While we have some idea of how the workers, diners, and District Attorney felt about the misconduct exposed over the past few days, there's no word yet about the lobster's take on events.

Comments (2) Write Comment
Share

Related Content

  • New Parking Spot App May Signal New Tech Wave December 3, 2009
  • Park Slope Mainstay Miracle Grill Appears to be Closed December 1, 2009
  • 1 Dead, 1 Injured in G Train Incident; Delays Reported (Updated) November 19, 2009
  • Open & Closed: Say Hello to Abe & Arthur's; Goodbye to T Thai October 9, 2009
  • When Children and Fine Dining Collide September 16, 2009

More About:

  • Vadim Ponorovsky
  • Neil Ganic
  • Helmer Toro
  • Trials
  • Civil Trials

Comments (2)

Jon Davies says:

This is what we waiters have to endure... if only customers had a clue. I think it wise to direct you to my favorite video blog right now - a waiter on YouTube who says what so many of us in the industry think and feel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/YourDailyTip

He teaches people how to be better customers, and what to look out for when they are dining. He's funny, nice, angry, cute, bitter, and charming!

I've seen his channel grow in a matter of months from 20 subscribers to over 700... but I would like to see it grow even more. He deserves it, I think!

Posted On: Friday, Nov. 20 2009 @ 3:49PM
Cletus Apkin says:

Okay, I do not agree on a thing or two although the rest seems fine.

Posted On: Sunday, Mar. 14 2010 @ 6:49AM

Write Comment


Comments may not show up immediately after submission. Please wait a minute after posting a comment for it to appear.

All reader comments are subject to our Terms of Use. By clicking "Post," you acknowledge that you have reviewed and agree to these Terms.

Tools

Search Fork in the Road


Follow

Email tips to tips@villagevoice.com

SlideShows»

  • Brooklyn Taco Experiment
  • Cookie Takedown
  • Chili Takedown 2009
  • More Slideshows >>

Most …

  • Great Barbecues of Texas: City Market in Luling
  • A Week of Human Cheese; Is Your CSA a Ripoff?
  • Duane Reade's Groceries Are Now Fully Locked and Loaded
  • Posts of the Week
  • Say Hello to Betel; Goodbye to Blarney Stone
  • More Recent Entries...
  • 10 Great Places to Eat in Austin & Vicinity, A Restaurant Guide for SXSW Attendees (34)
  • Will a Chihuahua Actually Eat Taco Bell? (25)
  • Where Am I Eating? (8)
  • Our 10 Best Sandwiches (7)
  • From the Annals of Idiocy: NY State Assemblyman Introduces Bill to Ban Salt (7)
  • Will a Chihuahua Actually Eat Taco Bell?
  • 10 Great Places to Eat in Austin & Vicinity, A Restaurant Guide for SXSW Attendees
  • Our 10 Best Sandwiches
  • Citing Economy, Colicchio and Sons Abandons Prix Fixe; Colicchio Responds to Platt
  • Our 10 Best People-Watching Restaurants

Twitter Feed

Follow forkintheroadVV on Twitter

More Twitter >>

VVM on Digg

  • 30
    diggs
    10 Nerd Actors Who Ventured Into Music... And Shouldn't Have
  • 181
    diggs
    Jury Buys Story of Thief Who Says He Was Just Good Samaritan
  • 1177
    diggs
    Man Kills Burglar with Ornamental Sword
  • 426
    diggs
    9 Lame Vampires Much Cooler than the Vampires in Twilight
  • 477
    diggs
    Venezuela Murder Rate Has Quadrupled Under Hugo Chavez
  • 249
    diggs
    Vampire with Pipe-Bomb Strapped to Arm Disrupts Traffic
  • 385
    diggs
    Serial Killer Rodney Alcala's Creepy Photo Collection [Pics]
  • 573
    diggs
    Don't Park Here!
  • 468
    diggs
    $8K Bag of Weed Found in Goodwill Donation Bin
  • 188
    diggs
    The Ten Best Names of Traditional Irish Dishes
  • 294
    diggs
    State Bans Synthetic Weed, New Products crop up to Replace
  • 8773
    diggs
    Legalization of Marijuana Bill in California
  • 5801
    diggs
    Guess Who is Facing 21 Years in Prison?
  • 5051
    diggs
    Guys Dates Several Prostitutes. No Sex. Just Regular Dates.
  • 4605
    diggs
    Get Up, Stand Up: Ammiano Introduces Marijuana Legalization
  • 3753
    diggs
    Denver Airports Controversial 32 FT Zombie Mustang Sculpture
  • 3734
    diggs
    Guy Dumps His Cheating Girlfriend Live on Radio (Audio)
  • 2721
    diggs
    Meet Scientology's Worst Enemy
  • 2694
    diggs
    Decision Tree: Should I Buy an iPad? (PIC)
  • 2631
    diggs
    The best (PIC) of Colin Powell you'll see today.
  • 2589
    diggs
    Police Get The Wrong House In Galveston, Assault 12-Year old

Links

  • Eater
  • Grub Street
  • Serious Eats
  • Midtown Lunch
  • eGullet New York
  • Chowhound
  • Gothamist Food
  • Sietsema on Gourmet.com
  • Guardian UK: Word of Mouth
  • Eating in Translation
  • Food Buzz
  • Amateur Gourmet
  • Cheap Ass Food
  • Food in Mouth
  • The Girl Who Ate Everything
  • Blondie and Brownie
  • Eat Drink One Woman
  • Not Eating Out in New York
  • Time Out's The Feed
  • The Feedbag
  • Eat Me Daily
  • Hungry Beast
  • Saveur
  • Slice
  • A Hamburger Today
  • The Atlantic's Food Channel
  • The Food Section
  • Gastropoda
  • NYT: Diner's Journal
About Us | Work for Village Voice | Esubscribe | Free Classifieds | Advertising | Privacy Policy | Problem With the Site? | RSS | Site Map
©2010 Village Voice, LLC. All rights reserved.