Noma event loses sponsors after a report of past abuse by its chef

Two major sponsors of a $1,500 US-per-night ($2,100 AUD) series of pop-up dinners in Los Angeles staged by the globally acclaimed Copenhagen, Denmark, restaurant Noma have pulled out in response to a New York Times report that its chef, Rene Redzepi, abused employees for years.

American Express and Blackbird, a hospitality startup, announced Monday that they would withdraw from the sold-out, 16-week series, scheduled to start Wednesday. Both companies had purchased blocks of tickets for their members. Resy American Express bought six nights for its U.S. Platinum cardholders, and Blackbird bought about $100,000 worth of tickets throughout the run.

They said they would issue refunds to customers and donate all proceeds already collected to organisations that protect restaurant workers.

“We cannot lean on time elapsed and rehabilitation claims when these things resurface.”

Blackbird founder, Ben Leventhal,

“René’s past practices, by his own admission, were unacceptable and abhorrent,” Blackbird’s founder, Ben Leventhal, said in a statement, referring to an apology Redzepi issued in response to the Times article. “We cannot lean on time elapsed and rehabilitation claims when these things resurface.”

A spokesperson for Resy American Express said that the company was “stepping away” from the sponsorship and that it would “reinvest the proceeds” to benefit Los Angeles hospitality workers.

“Our priority is to support the restaurant community and not let this decision impact the many people who have worked hard to bring this residency to life, from local farmers to purveyors and more.”

A Noma spokesperson did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Noma has been the most influential restaurant of the past decade, with its inventive dishes and commitment to local, sustainable and foraged ingredients. It was ranked No. 1 five times on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list and awarded three Michelin stars. Redzepi was hailed as a “God of Food” in Time magazine and was knighted for his contributions to Danish culture.

But, as the Times reported Saturday, Redzepi also became notorious among kitchen workers for inflicting physical and psychological abuse that went beyond even the norms of an industry plagued by toxic workplaces. Some 35 former employees told the Times that between 2009 and 2017, he hit, jabbed and shoved workers for minor errors and punched them when enraged by an infraction. He threatened them with blacklisting, deportation and public shaming.

The Los Angeles pop-up has been a flashpoint on social media since a former employee, Jason Ignacio White, last month began posting allegations of past abuse.

One Fair Wage, a labor group, plans to protest Wednesday afternoon outside the pop-up venue in Silver Lake, calling for reparations for workers and changes in Noma’s workplace policies. A Noma spokesperson said that in recent years, the company has adopted formal human resources systems, management training and improved work hours.

The pop-up, similar to those Noma has staged in Sydney; Kyoto, Japan; and Tulum, Mexico, will run for about 60 nights. All tickets sold out “in minutes,” Redzepi said on Instagram when tickets were released January 26.

For each night, Noma sold 42 tickets, bringing the potential revenue to $63,000 per night, and about $4 million for the total run. According to the ticketing website Tock, which is owned by American Express, all bookings are now non-refundable and non-transferable.

Of the six nights Resy American Express bought for its cardholders, three were already sold out, and the remaining three were still to be released. Customers who bought tickets can request a refund. All remaining proceeds from the three nights sold will be donated, and the remaining three will be “given back to Noma,” a Resy spokesperson said.

Leventhal said he was in contact with Noma and was “insisting they route a majority of profits similarly.”

New York Times