Mario Batali's 3 Las Vegas Restaurants Shut Down Amid Horrific Rape Allegations
Three of Mario Batali’s Las Vegas restaurants are set to close after a woman told Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes that the celebrity chef raped her.
Before the bombshell allegation, Batali, 57, stepped away from his empire on December 2017, after at least nine women came forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct, harassment and assault.
The brave woman, who wished to remain anonymous claimed he raped her in his NYC restaurant The Spotted Pig’s third floor — in a chamber that staffers used to refer to as the “rape room.”
Now, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports his three high-profile restaurants are located on the Las Vegas Strip including Carnevino Italian Steakhouse, B&B Ristorante, and Otto Enoteca e Pizzeria will permanently shut down on July 27.
All three high-profile restaurants are located on the Las Vegas Strip, in the Venetian and Palazzo resorts, and had been open for more than a decade: Carnevino celebrated its 10-year anniversary last year with a splashy dinner series.
“These restaurants have continued to succeed, and they are a tribute to every one of you who works in them and brings great dining experiences to our guests,” Batali's partner, Joe Bastianich, said in a letter to employees. “Unfortunately, our partner in these restaurants, Las Vegas Sands Corp., has decided to end our relationship.”
The unnamed victim revealed graphic details about the alleged rape in her interview.
“It gets completely foggy for me. And this is — part of the messy, scary part for me, there is a part where it — it all disappears,” said the woman, recalling the horrific details. “I remember a moment where I was on his lap, kissing him. Like, he was kissing me. And then I remember throwing up — in a toilet. And that is all.”
She claimed she was drinking white wine at Batali’s VIP table, when out of nowhere, she blacked out.
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“I woke up by myself on the floor, I don’t know where I am, of an empty room, wooden floor. I see broken bottles. The first thing I think is, ‘I’ve been drugged.’ That was the first thing I thought is, ‘I’ve been– I’ve been assaulted.'”
She claimed her leg was wounded with “deep scratches” when she woke up, and as soon as she lifted her skirt, she found Batali’s “semen.”
Former The Spotted Pig waitress Natalie Saibel and ex-manager Jamie Seet confirmed the woman’s account, claiming they saw footage (captured by the restaurant’s security cameras) of Batali raping her while she was unconscious.
They told Anderson Cooper, 50, that they still regret not having alerted the police.
Mario Batali has vehemently denied the allegations.
As RadarOnline.com readers know, Batali — who was an investor at Ken Friedman’s restaurant The Spotted Pig — owns 26 restaurants and appeared on the beloved Chef show, The Chew, for years. He was fired this past December after his sexual assault accusations.
The NYPD confirmed to 60 Minutes that they are conducting a criminal investigation into Mario Batali.
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