'My wife is Dominican, I know how you women are'
Two former employees at Salt Bae's critically acclimated Nusr-Et Steakhouse in New York have filed a lawsuit claiming they were discriminated against.
The former employees have sued for $500,000 each over claims that they were treated differently to other staff as they were not Turkish. They are also claiming that they were manhandled by senior staff and told to lie about whether the food was halal.
Angelo Maher began working at the steakhouse as a waiter in 2017. He claims he was positioned in quieter parts of the restaurant and he and other non-Turkish staff members were not told about how tips were divided.
Maher claims that he was forced to give up his tips, even when serving celebrities like musician and rapper French Montana.
When he questioned a manager about the tips, he was allegedly told: "Stop with this tip-pool stuff cause I'm telling you, you are on your final warning, just stay neutral."
Maher continues to suggest Turkish staff members were protected regardless of their performance, while non-Turkish staff members were treated poorly.
https://twitter.com/KremlinTrolls/status/1458073162386743296
Amid the other allegations, Maher claims he was made to pay for mistakes out of his own pocket, whereas Turkish staff were not.
Maher raised concerns with the human resources department in 2019, which spurred his move to less lucrative areas of the restaurant and also being sent home early from shifts.
https://twitter.com/ChrisEccles1/status/1460974405220278280
Before being fired in March 2020, Maher alleges that managers manhandled him on two occasions, including one time when he was slapped.
The second former employee named on the suit is bartender Elizabeth Cruz who was allegedly told to change into "a short skirt, high-heels and a revealing top".
She also states that a member of staff told her: "My wife is Dominican, I know how you women are."
After requesting to return to normal uniform, Cruz was also sacked.
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