Barbara Lynch, a Leading Boston Restaurateur, Is Accused of Workplace Abuse

“She has always been protected from the consequences of her actions,” said Sara Hatanaka, a manager of BG Oysters and the Butcher Shop from 2020 to 2022. “At some point, everyone has to be held accountable.”

In a statement on Wednesday, Ms. Lynch categorically denied the allegations. “I expressly reject the various false accusations lodged against me that I have behaved inappropriately with employees or crossed professional guideposts that are important to me,” she said.

Ms. Lynch said she “cannot put out all the fires that flare in this high stress environment and my very modest roots allow me to recognize that I’m far from being above reproach. I make personnel decisions that may rankle those who don’t measure up or don’t want to commit to true teamwork and service; perhaps some I should have removed sooner.

“I acknowledge that I am a creature of the alcohol-steeped hospitality and restaurant industry,” she added, “and I am committed to taking responsibility and working on myself.” But she said the accusations were “fantastical” and “seem designed to ‘take me down.’”

Since Ms. Lynch, 59, opened her first restaurant, No. 9 Park, in 1998, her success has seemed boundless, stretching beyond the culinary world. After her candid memoir, “Out of Line: A Life of Playing With Fire” was published in 2017, Time magazine named her one of the world’s most influential people. She has won accolades like Outstanding Restaurateur from the James Beard Foundation, an Amelia Earhart Award for pioneering women in Boston and an honorary degree from Northeastern University. On Saturday, she opened her first new restaurant in nearly a decade, the Rudder, near her home in Gloucester, Mass.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/20/dining/barbara-lynch-boston-workplace-abuse.html