© StarpixKen Friedman
An after-hours space on the third floor of restaurateur Ken Friedman's tony Village hot spot is even known among workers and industry insiders as "the rape room" - where public sex is on display, according to the New York Times, quoting 10 women who are accusing the powerful businessman of unwanted sexual advances.
Former longtime server Trish Nelson said Friedman once grabbed her head as she was kneeling down behind the bar to get some glasses, told her "while you're down there," and pulled it toward his crotch - all in front of actress Amy Poehler - in 2007, according to the Times.
"Aside from hanging my head in painful humiliation, I did nothing," Nelson wrote on Facebook in October. "I can't even retell this story now without getting teary."
Pohler told the Times through a rep, "I have no recollection of this, but it's horrible."
A few years later, Nelson said, Friedman invited her to his car to smoke pot.
Then he lunged at her and stuck his tongue in her mouth, she said.
"I couldn't believe it," she told the Times. "I had worked for him for six years."
She said she soon gave her notice.
The workers said that after hours, Friedman brings celebrity guests and his buddies upstairs to a third-floor room - where nudity reigns, public sex occurs and he and patrons grope the help.
The Spotted Pig - which opened in 2004 with the help of investors such as Jay-Z and celebrity chef Mario Batali, now himself battling sexual misconduct allegations - is one of a slew of high-profile restaurants owned by Friedman and top chef April Bloomfield. The pair also own city establishments such as the Breslin Bar & Dining Room, the John Dory Oyster Bar, Salvation Taco and White Gold Butchers.
Rza Betts, the former wine director at Breslin, said Friedman once suddenly kissed her in 2009 while they were at a new bar near the Breslin to check out its drink selection.
"In the moment, you are not thinking at all," she said. "He's your boss. You don't punch him. You just don't kiss back, and pull away and try to shake it off."
She said she left - but then the texts started coming.
"G'nite gorgeous. Send me a sexy picture," she said Friedman wrote.
When she brushed him off, he replied, "Come on. One sexy pic," she said.
"Just 1. Your body," he allegedly added.
Several of the women who talked to the Times said they told Bloomfield about Friedman's unacceptable behavior.
"Her response was always the same," Nelson said. "'That's who he is. Get used to it. Or go work for someone else.'"
Friedman's company said in a statement Tuesday that the restaurateur, who is married to a former Spotted Pig hostess, will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the management of his businesses, according to the Times.
Friedman had earlier said in a statement, "I own my behavior, which can accurately be described at times as abrasive, rude and frankly wrong. The women who work at our restaurants are among the best in the business, and putting any of them in humiliating situations is unjustifiable. Some incidents were not as described, but context and content are not today's discussion.
"I apologize now publicly for my actions."
Bloomfield denied in a statement that she had ignored complaints against her business partner.
"In the two matters involving uninvited approaches that were brought to my attention over the years, I immediately referred both to our outside labor counsel, and they were addressed internally," she said. "I have spoken to Ken about professional boundaries and relied on him to uphold our policies. Nonetheless I feel we have let down our employees and for that I sincerely apologize."
Comment: Piggish behavior, yes, but hardly worthy of losing his career over. What happened to the days when certain men were known to be pigs and women acted accordingly?