Restaurant manager touched young female workers, asked them to sleep over, CA suit says

A manager working for a restaurant chain in California hired teenage female workers and sexually harassed them regularly, according to a lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed against Swami’s, which has 10 locations in Southern California, and Honey’s Bistro, located in Encinitas, says since at least 2019, the businesses had a “pattern” of hiring girls as young as 16 “based on their appearance and vulnerability” and subjected them to a “highly sexualized work environment” and “daily” sexual harassment from a restaurant manager.

He would inappropriately touch female employees, attempt to have sexual relationships with them and make sexual comments toward them, according to the lawsuit filed on May 17 by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The manager showed favoritism to certain employees who put up with his behavior by giving them gifts, such as bicycles, surfboards, alcohol, illegal drugs and cash, and scheduling them to work during the most lucrative shifts, the lawsuit says.

He retaliated against those who refused his advances by taking them off the work schedule, firing them, physically intimidating them or yelling at them in front of customers, according to the lawsuit. He once got angry with a female employee and threw “heavy receipt rolls and cardboard boxes” at her, the lawsuit says.

Swami’s Cafe and Honey’s Bistro did not immediately respond to requests for comment from McClatchy News. A number for Swami’s 101, a location in Encinitas where the manager worked, according to the lawsuit, had been disconnected. Encinitas is about 25 miles north of San Diego.

A spokesperson for Swami’s 101 told KNSD the chain denied the accusations and “will vigorously defend against this lawsuit.”

Female employees reported not only being harassed by him but also enduring a general culture of harassment throughout the company, the lawsuit says. Employees reported harassment at other locations, including incidents of cooks and dishwashers grabbing waitresses from behind, according to the suit.

Though the workers complained about it to superiors, the company did nothing to address their complaints, according to the lawsuit.

Once, the manager referred to a newly hired 17-year-old as a “tall, beautiful Venezuelan” and “leered” at her in front of Swami’s owner, the lawsuit says. Instead of reprimanding him, he “joined in staring her up and down,” according to the lawsuit.

The manager would frequently make “graphic” comments about female employees and their bodies and refer to them as “angels,” “dolls,” “sexy,” “cute,” “heartbreakers” or “hot,” the lawsuit says.

He also invited underage employees to sleep over or live with him at his house, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit is seeking monetary damages for the affected employees as well as action against the company to prevent similar misconduct from occurring in the future, according to a news release from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

“It is crucial that employers act on reports of harassment in a timely manner and properly investigate all complaints of harassment in the workplace,” Jacquelyn Famber, district director for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s San Diego office, said in a statement. “Retaliating against employees who report discrimination or harassment at work is against the law.”

This story was originally published May 23, 2023 at 11:17 AM with the headline "Restaurant manager touched young female workers, asked them to sleep over, CA suit says."