Lawsuits

Del Posto Gets Rocked by ROC Protesters

Photo: Courtesy of ROCNY

Yesterday evening we cruised by Del Posto (home of Manhattan’s most expensive meal, per Bloomberg’s breakdown of prix fixes) and noticed a group across from the restaurant holding signs like “WE LOVE JUST FOOD” and “BATALI, SUPPORT FAIR FOOD.” Turns out we were looking at a Fair Food Potluck organized by the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York, the group that helped bring a lawsuit against the restaurant. Though Batali and Bastianich sued the ROCNY and scored a restraining order against the protesters back in November, ROCNY co-director Rekha Eanni tells us the restaurant dropped the order a month later, and as a result, “there will continually be actions outside of Del Posto to let the public know what’s going on.”

Eanni says that about 60 to 70 people showed up yesterday, including several of the suit’s plaintiffs, along with members from the Riverside Church, Just Food, WhyHunger, and ROCNY. In the words of the event’s flyer (which includes a link to a petition that’s 580+ signatures strong), they brought “just food” to share. So what’s just food, anyway? “Batali really puts himself out there as a green restaurant and he’s trying to get green restaurant certified, and he’s a big player in the local, sustainable, environmental food movement,” says Eanni. “So last night was about sending the message that sustainable restaurants and businesses are also about having good working conditions and treating workers fairly.”

According to Eanni, no one from Del Posto came out to speak to the protesters, but she thinks they’ll get the message. “They’re going to have to do the right thing,” she says, “because there’s a very public expectation that they will do the right thing.”

Del Posto Gets Rocked by ROC Protesters