Mario Batali Is Officially OUT at Eataly

Disgraced chef Mario Batali is officially no longer an owner of Eataly. The wildly popular global Italian food hall chain bought out the former celebrity chef’s minority stake in the business, following explosive allegations of sexual misconduct against Batali in 2017, a spokesperson confirmed to the Associated Press.

Eataly — with New York City locations in Flatiron and the Financial District, as well as others around the world — was the last major business in Batali’s crumbled empire to make the split official; B&B Hospitality severed ties with the chef in March, cutting Batali off from restaurants such as Babbo, Del Posto, and Otto.

Though Batali was a minority investor in Eataly’s U.S. operations, he was often the face of the company, showing up at promotional events and tightly associated with the brand here. They pushed him out of day-to-day operations shortly after the allegations, but now, he’s also no longer a partner.

The accusations against Batali include groping and forced kissing and stem from interviews with nearly three dozen current and former Batali employees. He has also been accused by several fans of groping them while they posed with him for photos, which is the source of the criminal complaint against him in Boston.

It’s been a far fall for Batali, once known as a game-changing and playful chef who opened a string of successful Italian restaurants, rose to international fame at Food Network, and hosted seven seasons of now-canceled talk show The Chew. Since the allegations surfaced, Batali has been ousted from nearly all of his known ventures, and he’s been charged with assault and battery in Boston, to which he has pleaded not guilty. If Batali is convicted of these criminal charges in Boston, he could face jail time and be required to register as a sex offender; his next court date is scheduled for August 30.

Update: This post was updated on Aug. 23, 2019, to reflect the revelation from Spotted Pig owner Ken Friedman that Mario Batali had in fact divested his stake in the restaurant.

• Eataly severs ties with Mario Batali amid misconduct scandal [AP]
• All coverage of Mario Batali [E]