Mario Batali Has Surrendered All of His Restaurants Following Sexual Assault Allegations

According to the New York Times, celebrity chef Mario Batali has surrendered all of his restaurants following multiple allegations of sexual harassment and assault.

For 20 years, Batali and the Bastianich family of restaurateurs, known as the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, owned “dozens of restaurants and food businesses in the United States, Italy, Singapore and Hong Kong,” which Batali has since relinquished. He is also in the midst of selling his shares of Eataly.

In December 2017, Eater published a report in which four women accused Batali of “inappropriate touching” and various abuses over the course of decades. In the year and three months since, at least 18 women have alleged abuse. As a result, he stepped down from his co-hosting gig on ABC’s The Chew, day to day operations at the B&B Hospitality Group, and released a public apology which, in his newsletter, which also included a cinnamon bun recipe. As of May 2018, the NYPD began investigating the claims against Batali, which, in turn, led to the shuttering of his Las Vegas restaurants. Those investigations were closed last month with no charges brought against him.

Joe Bastianich, Batali’s partner, shared the following statement Tuesday:

“While I never saw or heard of Mario groping an employee, I heard him say inappropriate things to our employees. Though I criticized him for it from time to time, I should have done more. I neglected my responsibilities as I turned my attention away from the restaurants. People were hurt, and for this I am deeply sorry.”

And Batali shared the following:

“I have reached an agreement with Joe and no longer have any stake in the restaurants we built together. I wish him the best of luck in the future.”