Lawsuit Filed By Former Employee Claiming Upscale NYC Restaurant Allowed Racism Against Black People

A fancy New York City restaurant group is under fire in a new lawsuit for allegedly allowing racial discrimination against Black employees.

The Daily Beast reports that the Dinex Group is being sued by a former Black employee claiming he was fired after speaking out against managers who racially discriminated against wait staff. The lawsuit states the restaurant, owned by French chef Daniel Boulud, violated state labor laws by allowing blatant racism in the workplace.

Working as a host at Le Pavillon in Manhattan’s high-end East Side, the employee recalled an incident from Aug. 19 when a customer refused to have him take them to their table, according to the lawsuit. When he told the lead host what happened, he was told Le Pavillon tends to have a common practice of catering to patrons’ needs, including racist tactics of not wanting to be served by Black wait staff.

He later explained the situation to a manager on Aug. 25. According to the lawsuit, the workplace environment became tense for him. Shifts were scheduled for days he wasn’t available to work, he wasn’t allowed to take breaks during his shifts, and staff became overly critical of his work. He was fired on Sept. 9 after the restaurant claimed he lost some keys, but the suit says he was not responsible for the keys on the day the keys went missing.

Due to his firing, the former employee says he has suffered financially and mentally. He is suing for lost wages and benefits, legal fees, punitive damages, and looking for The Dinex Group to receive a civil penalty. Ironically, Le Pavillon won ENR New York Magazine’s Regional Best Project for Best Residential/Hospitality in 2022.

The Dinex Group’s CEO Sebastien Silvestri says the allegations against the restaurant aren’t true. “We look forward to defending our reputation,” he said.