Spotted Pig shuts down following sexual harassment settlement

Deal with AG’s office included a share of the restaurant’s future profits

Ken Friedman (inset) and the Spotted Pig at 314 West 11th Street (Credit: Google Maps, Getty Images)
Ken Friedman (inset) and the Spotted Pig at 314 West 11th Street (Credit: Google Maps, Getty Images)

Iconic gastro pub the Spotted Pig is no longer in business. The closure comes less than a month after owner Ken Friedman agreed to settle sexual harassment claims with the New York state attorney general — in a deal that included a share of the restaurant’s future profits.

While it is unclear how the restaurant’s closing will impact the profit-sharing arrangement, the 11 former employees involved in the settlement will still be entitled to a lump payment of $240,000 from Friedman, the New York Times reported.

The West Village establishment, opened by Friedman and longtime business partner April Bloomfield in 2004, served its last meal Sunday night. The restaurant occupied all three floors at 314 West 11th Street, which is owned by a partnership that includes Jay-Z and Bono.

In 2017, Friedman was accused by at least 10 women of various “unwanted sexual advances,” which included groping, forcible kissing and requests for nude photos, and he split with Bloomfield soon after.

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“For over two years I have done everything possible to keep the Spotted Pig open,” Friedman said in a statement Monday. “I’ve been working to try to raise funds or sell my shares, in order to save the business, to continue to support our great employees — many of whom have been with us for over a decade — so they could keep their jobs and health benefits.”

He added that 78 full- and part-time employees had been out of work by the closing, though some had been able find new work with his help.

The profit sharing agreement envisioned Friendman paying 20 percent of future profits to the plaintiffs for the next ten years, and was offered as an alternative to a larger lump sum payment after Friedman claimed financial difficulties. [NYT] — Kevin Sun