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Mike Isabella's restaurant empire is headed for liquidation. He blames 'bad press.'
Source: Washington Post
Mike Isabella’s restaurant empire is headed for liquidation. He blames ‘bad press.’
By Maura Judkis and
Tim Carman December 13 at 4:18 PM
When Mike Isabella filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September, the former “Top Chef” star had hoped the company reorganization would stop the financial bleeding and “get me back to where I was” six months earlier, before a former manager accused him and his partners of sexual harassment. He was, in short, fighting for a second chance to win over Washington diners who had helped his restaurant group grow into one of the largest in town.
But in a Chapter 7 filing on Tuesday, which seeks to operate six restaurants through Dec. 27 before closing them permanently, Isabella argues that the local and national media relentlessly threw shade on his business operations even after he agreed to a confidential settlement in May with former Isabella Eatery manager, Chloe Caras, who sued for “extraordinary sexual harassment.” Isabella, documents note, apologized publicly to a local TV reporter and implemented new “zero tolerance” sexual harassment policies at all of his restaurants. He was ready to “restore confidence in Mike Isabella and his restaurants.”
The press, Isabella argues, would not change its narrative and focused only on the negative.
“Notwithstanding Mike Isabella’s public apology and best efforts to implement a zero-tolerance policy .?.?. the press continued to incessantly report on Mike Isabella’s failures as a chef and business man,” the court documents say. The filing mentions stories by Grub Street, Eater, The Washington Post and, most recently, the Washingtonian cover story, which featured a photo of Isabella with egg on his face. (Washingtonian first reported on Isabella’s Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing.)
-snip-
By Maura Judkis and
Tim Carman December 13 at 4:18 PM
When Mike Isabella filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September, the former “Top Chef” star had hoped the company reorganization would stop the financial bleeding and “get me back to where I was” six months earlier, before a former manager accused him and his partners of sexual harassment. He was, in short, fighting for a second chance to win over Washington diners who had helped his restaurant group grow into one of the largest in town.
But in a Chapter 7 filing on Tuesday, which seeks to operate six restaurants through Dec. 27 before closing them permanently, Isabella argues that the local and national media relentlessly threw shade on his business operations even after he agreed to a confidential settlement in May with former Isabella Eatery manager, Chloe Caras, who sued for “extraordinary sexual harassment.” Isabella, documents note, apologized publicly to a local TV reporter and implemented new “zero tolerance” sexual harassment policies at all of his restaurants. He was ready to “restore confidence in Mike Isabella and his restaurants.”
The press, Isabella argues, would not change its narrative and focused only on the negative.
“Notwithstanding Mike Isabella’s public apology and best efforts to implement a zero-tolerance policy .?.?. the press continued to incessantly report on Mike Isabella’s failures as a chef and business man,” the court documents say. The filing mentions stories by Grub Street, Eater, The Washington Post and, most recently, the Washingtonian cover story, which featured a photo of Isabella with egg on his face. (Washingtonian first reported on Isabella’s Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing.)
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2018/12/13/mike-isabellas-company-is-going-out-of-business-seven-months-after-sexual-harassment-lawsuit/
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