Celebrity chef Mario Batali is officially out of the restaurant business.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that the partnership between Batali and the Bastianich family of restaurateurs has been formally dissolved after 20 years. The move follows allegations made in late December 2017 that Batali had made unwanted physical advances on a number of women who worked with him.
Immediately following the accusations, Batali announced intentions to step away from daily operations of his restaurants and stepped down from his role as host of ABC’s The Chew. In May of last year, Las Vegas Sands closed three of Batali’s restaurants on its properties, followed by several other closures.
Now remaining members of the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group have bought out Batali’s shares in all of the restaurants and plan to create a new company that will oversee day-to-day operations. The still unnamed group will reportedly operate the group’s 16 remaining restaurants, including New York City restaurants Babbo, Del Posto, Lupa, and Esca.
The Times reports that Eataly is also in the process of acquiring Batali’s shares in the chain’s USA operations.
