Root & Bone Chefs Stole Nearly $290K From Restaurant, Lawsuit Alleges

Chefs Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth — co-owners of fried chicken spot Root & Bone and Top Chef alums — are being sued for allegedly using nearly $290,000 in restaurant profits for personal gain.

Root & Bone partner Richard Freedman filed a lawsuit against the couple for allegedly lying about the Alphabet City restaurant’s profits and taking $286,500 to finance their apartment renovation and a pop-up in Puerto Rico, among other things, the Post reports.

McInnis and Booth, who live above the restaurant, denied the allegations through a statement via a spokeswoman. They claim the restaurant’s bookkeeper “misinformed” Freedman and that they renovated their apartment with their own money.

“We’ve offered to show Mr. Freedman the books and walk him through his questions; we are certain once this is accomplished the lawsuit will disappear,” the statement says.

But Freedman — who owns the building — is suing for access to those books, as well as all that cash back, claiming he has “often requested” access “only to be rebuffed or provided with incomplete and inaccurate documentation,” according to the complaint.

Root & Bone opened in 2014 to buzz and long waits, subsequently scoring two stars from Eater. Stay tuned for more.

• ‘Top Chef’ alums eating up trendy restaurant’s profits: suit [NYP]
• All Coverage of Root & Bone [ENY]