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The TV star denies any wrongdoing in the case but said in court documents that he would rather pay a settlement than go to trial.
The money will be served up to waitstaff, bartenders, bussers and runners who worked at three of Flay's New York City restaurants -- Mesa Grill, Bar Americain and the now-closed Bolo -- between January 2003 and September 2009. The workers claim that Flay made them buy their own uniforms and pay to have them cleaned and didn't give them a portion of the tips charged to private-party bills.
The lawsuit was originally brought in January by three servers from Bar Americain, according to DNAInfo.com. Two other plaintiffs from Mesa Grill and Bolo had joined them by the time Flay decided to settle the case.
About $250,000 in legal fees will be subtracted from the amount paid to the restaurant staffers, according to the New York Post. The settlement papers were filed Wednesday in Manhattan federal court, and a June 22 hearing was scheduled to approve the deal.
Flay stars in the popular Food Network shows Throwdown with Bobby Flay and Iron Chef.
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3-07-2010 @5:53PM Dusty said... Money and power would make anyone a smartass....And Bobby Fly is all that
I can't stand the guy..I won't even watch him on tv he makes me wanna puke
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3-06-2010 @4:25PM diane said... About a year ago I wrote to the food network asking how this guy stays on the air. Actually I don't care for most of the men. The new black guy is great and Tyler but even his stuff is too convoluted. The guy with the wild hair and says ''this bad boy'' 'til I shut him off. All the gals are great...especially the English gal Norella on Sat mornings.
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3-06-2010 @4:38PM drdede said... I wish this would have gone to court...Bobbt Flay is a class act all of the way. He should never had to pay these type of "benefits" to such losers. Someone mentioned that the uniforms are tax deductible...does anyone think these opportunists actually file or pay taxes???
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3-06-2010 @4:51PM Lloyd said... I suspect I share some of your sentiments but in regards to whether I think they file income tax returns, yes, I do. BTW, I'm the one that pointed out unreimbursed but required for work expenses like uniform costs are tax deductible.
I believe that many purchases, including the tips, at his restaurants are likely to be on a credit card and as such the tip amount would be known and paid by the restaurant. They'd have to in turn withhold some amount for taxes then. I would think the waitresses and waiters are likely to get a tax refund and would file if for no other reason.
3-06-2010 @4:41PM Jerry said... Servers never complain for fear of losing their jobs. The food & beverage industry is rampart with this mistreatment of employees, including Hotels.
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3-06-2010 @5:06PM Inkling said... PEGGERS- The Throwdown show is more to expose the common man and his restaurant than to prove hwo great of a chef Bobby Flay is in comparison to them. Bobby has had many shows, but they don't sizzle out because of his lack of personality. He has a bit of an ego that kind of puts some people off, but he WAS voted top chef consecutively for a few years at the beginning of his career. Who woudn't have a big head after that. I really liked his "Grillin' and Chillin'" show and I like to watch "Throwdown...". Mostly, I like to see how his competitors prepare their famous recipes.
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3-06-2010 @5:12PM Inkling said... When I was a bartender I was required to wear black slacks, black shoes, and white shirt at many places that I worked. Some required a tuxedo shirt, tie, and vest. NONE of that was ever reimbursed to the employees. To me, it was a uniform. I would never wear that anywhere else. BUT, if you want the job, and it is required that you dress that way to get the job and keep the job that is what you do. As for the tips that Flay supposedly didn't pay out...he probably paid out in cash and there was no proof to substantiate that. It sounds to me like somebody didn't work out and got sour apples after getting fired.
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3-06-2010 @5:26PM aj said... wow you friend of bobby? How can you defend such a pri@k! He is rich because he pays muinum wage and they all work on tips. We have spoken to the staff at bobby at the borgata and they are told to push drinks and take there tips in cash as when you leave it on a check they will never see it, or they will get what they get.We asked if we could leave a tip on a bill and the MANAGER SAID YES AND THE WAITER SAID NO. SO WHO DO YOU BELIVE NOW MR BOB!
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3-06-2010 @5:48PM Darin said... Some seem to get quite defensive over this tv host...He is a snob and I would love nothing more than to have him fall flat on his ass...I never liked him and the Foodnetwork to do much better. His food isn't to my liking either. Now if you want some good cooks then I suggest you pay attention to Paula Deen, Guy Fieri, Tyler Florence, Danny Boome, Ellie Krieger, Ina Garten, Dave Lieberman or my Ultimate/original Food Network star Emeril Lagasse. Not only are they personable but they can capitvate an audience.
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3-08-2010 @3:58PM ameech said... Bobby Flay is a typical arrogant hotshot who consistently picks on little guys -- I mean, one of his shows (Throwdown) is completely based on tricking mom-and-pop restaurant owners, who are beloved by their community, into thinking they're getting Food Network specials made about them. Then he goes in there to try and humiliate them by being better than they are at their specialty. Oh, surprise, surprise, a chef with decades of experience and the staff of a major TV network behind him can beat a small-time restauranteur at a cooking competition. He deserves whatever he gets for his consistently rampant douchebaggery.
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3-06-2010 @5:40PM Allen G Holland aka Frankendread said... Here's the thing.This issue is centered around getting tips from private reservations.Have you ever gone to a restaurant and seen on the menu, or a sign that an 18% gratuity is automatically added on parties of say...8 or more? If the workers had to furnish their own uniforms and dry clean and not receive tips from those parties, a bigger issue is at hand.There's a fine line between being an employee and an independent contractor.Did they work for the betterment of the restaurants or themselves? Servers usually gain there compensation from tips.They get such a measly hourly wage as it is...These kinds of suits happen all the time...just not as often to celebrity chefs.They have a legitimate beef, and he was smart to settle regardless of guilt.The legal fees alone would be a severe headache.Too bad his wife, who played an attorney on Law and Order couldn't handle this case for him.
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3-06-2010 @6:48PM Ron Jones said... He Settled. Great it's over & done. The fact remains that those servers made their $$$ on Bobby Flay's food, image and reputation. Thats not to say that they don't deserve a fair wage for a fair days work.... they do. But they could be working at a place that struggles to fill seats. Bobby Flay does not have that problem. Do you realize that often a server makes more on a dish that a restaurant owner (15 to 20 percent of sales with NO risk). I bet Bobby wishes that he made 15 to 20% with NO risk.
In short, Bobby Flay has matured into a stellar chef (just read his Mesa Grill Cookbook) and wonderful TV personality. He is great for food in America, and an inspiration to millions of foodies. Rock on Bobby, and thanks for all that you have done for food in America
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3-06-2010 @11:26PM Fred said... Very true! If you don't believe it, just look at the number of restaurants that end up being closed down (including Flay's Bolo). Even the world famous "Tavern on the Green" has closed. You bet 15 to 20% profit on every tab -- with no investment risk -- sounds like a pretty sweet deal dosn't it?
3-06-2010 @7:01PM AJ said... I used to work for Bobby at Mesa Grill in NYC. He was not a nice employer at all - very full of himself and didn't talk to us lowly servers. I was fired for buying a mentally retarded woman a dessert on her birthday after the manager refused to give it to her on the house. "If we gave desserts to every nice person that walked into this restaurant, we wouldn't have jobs." Insubordination was the charge - "I said no!" With no disciplinary record and high sales, I appealed it to Bobby and he suspended me for a week. I used that week to find a new job. Karma Bobby... Karma.... I now run a restaurant of my own. I give cake to everyone on their birthday and have a staff who would take a bullet for me. :)
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3-06-2010 @7:09PM Sal said... Bobby Flay has been married 3 or 4 times and he is in his 40's so I hate to cpmpare his personal life with his professional life. On TV you can sense he has a huge chip on his shoulder. For some reason people like Rocco Dispirito and Flay think just because they are on TV they can walk around and behave like Prima Donnas. If someone with as much money as he has that he can afford to pay 800K and states in court papers that he didnt want to go to trial says something about his Character. If I had money and I was in the right I would never settle out of court. I am sure the evidence that his ex workers have must be pretty solid for him to not fight for his good name. A lot of restaurant owners especially Chefs that are on TV have been known to be less than desirable employers. The Staf in a restaurant do not get paid much and depend on tips and have to deal with Patrons who are less than considerate. Also, if the comment posted by a customer who was at his Restaurant is true where they had been in his Place and he was strutting around and only concetrating on the table with the good looking women, I can totally see why Bobby Flay has been married and divorced several times. Most of the Food network chefs are not very personable in real life. That is what is wrong with Today's entertainment field. There are people that are made to be stars when years ago they would have been laughed at. Reality stars and these TV chefs have made monsters that the public has to stomach.
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3-06-2010 @7:22PM Gary said... Bobby Flay is a dirt bag and is only paying because he knows that he's a thief.
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3-06-2010 @8:51PM DH said... Have any of uou ever gone to your boss and asked him that after he paid all the bills and salary costs, taxes etc. did he make enough profit to pay his rent at home?
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3-06-2010 @10:02PM peggy said... I worked for a steak house a few years ago and we were required to buy our uniforms. A co-worker called the labor board and we were reimbursed for the uniforms. It's illegal to have an employee buy something that can't be purchased in a local store. In other words, something that must be ordered.
Also, do most of you people realize that most waitstaff are paid a whopping $2.65 per hour. Therefore it IS all about the money. Walk a mile in a waitpersons' shoes. I'll bet half of you wouldn't make it through one night.
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3-06-2010 @10:41PM WILL said... THE PROBLEM IS 90% OF THEM COULDNT READ THE CONTRACT
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3-07-2010 @12:43PM omm said... I can imagine him doing whatever it takes, to keep his buisness.
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