Mario Batali Stepping Away from His Businesses for the Time Being After Sexual Misconduct Allegations Come Up

by Marc Hurwitz

One of the biggest names in the food world is leaving his restaurant empire for now after news of sexual misconduct has been released.

According to an article from Eater, Mario Batali says that he is "stepping away from the day-to-day operations of his businesses" for an unknown period of time following allegations of inappropriate behavior that reportedly go back at least two decades based on multiple interviews by Eater, while ABC's, The Chew has asked him to step away from the show while they "review the allegations that have just recently come to [their] attention." The businesses that Batali is stepping away from include two in Boston--Eataly in the Prudential Center and Babbo in the Seaport District, both of which are part of the Batali & Bastianich (B&B) Hospitality Group.

B&B tells Eater that even though the company has had sexual harassment training and policies for 10+ years, it is now bringing in an independent corporate investigations firm that will help any workers looking to make claims against owners of their restaurants, while partner Joe Bastianich says that "Right now, I’m just focused on ensuring that our more than 1,000 employees continue to have a safe and positive work environment."

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Mario Batali May Be Looking to Open New Restaurant on Boston Waterfront

A celebrity chef and restaurateur is apparently not done yet with opening new spots in Boston.

According to an article in the Boston Herald, Mario Batali is reportedly looking at sites along the Boston waterfront and mentions that "I’ve always loved the idea of a ceviche and raw bar with a great beer program." This comes on the heels of this week's opening of Eataly, an Italian emporium in the Prudential Center that Batali is involved with, joining Babbo, a waterfront pizzeria and enoteca that Batali and his business partners opened last year.

As soon as we find out more about Batali's plans for a possible new restaurant coming to the waterfront, we will post an update here.

[Earlier Article]
Eataly Is Opening within the Prudential Center in Boston's Back Bay in November

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Eataly Is Opening within the Prudential Center in Boston's Back Bay in November

Last year, we reported that a massive new Italian emporium would be coming to the Back Bay of Boston, and now we have learned that its opening is only a few months away.

According to a post from The Boston Globe, Mario Batali's Eataly is expected to open in November where the Prudential Center's food court had been, with the place having nearly 50,000 feet of space and including sections for pasta, seafood, meats, cheeses, and more, along with several restaurants and possibly a brewery. Celebrity chef Batali and his business partners are also on the verge of opening a location of Eataly in Lower Manhattan, with the two new outlets joining existing shops in Manhattan's Flatiron neighborhood and Chicago along with others in Europe, Asia, and South America.

Mario Batali is also behind a location of Babbo Pizzeria at Boston's Fan Pier.

The website for Eataly can be found at https://www.eataly.com/

[October 27 update: A post from Eater Boston indicates that its Back Bay shop has its grand opening on November 29.]

[Earlier Article]
Confirmed: Mario Batali's Eataly Will Open at the Prudential Center in Boston's Back Bay

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Confirmed: Mario Batali's Eataly Will Open at the Prudential Center in Boston's Back Bay

[Ed note: This article was updated on May 12 to reflect confirmation of the project taking place.]

Two years ago, we reported that a celebrity chef might bring a location of his popular Manhattan emporium to Boston, and this winter we confirmed this, though its exact location was unknown at the time. Now we have just learned where the store will be, if all goes as planned.

The Boston Globe is reporting that Mario Batali and his business partners are close to signing a deal to open Eataly within the Prudential Center in the city's Back Bay neighborhood, with the Italian marketplace apparently going into the space where the food court has been. The article says that Eataly Boston would have 45,000 square feet of space and would be on three floors, with everything from pasta to olive oil, produce, meats, cheeses, and much more, along with at least six dining spots (a brewery with a retractable ceiling and patio and a rooftop grill are apparently in the works).

If the deal is finalized and everything goes as planned (the Globe says the plans could still change), Eataly Boston could be open in the middle to latter part of 2016.

[May 12 update: According to an article from BostInno, the lease for Eataly was signed on May 8 and the project is now moving ahead; construction is expected to start in June, with the place hoping to open at the Pru in the latter part of 2016.]

Mario Batali recently opened Babbo Pizzeria at Boston's Fan Pier as well.

The website for Eataly can be found at http://www.eataly.com/

[Earlier Articles]
Mario Batali's Eataly May Be Coming to Boston
Mario Batali Is Opening Babbo Pizzeria at Fan Pier in Boston

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Mario Batali Is Opening Babbo Pizzeria at Fan Pier in Boston

A year and a half ago, we reported that a New York-based celebrity chef, restaurateur, writer, and TV personality was looking to open a restaurant in the Fort Point section of Boston. Those plans ultimately ended up falling though last summer, but now we have learned that plans are back on to open the eatery at a nearby location.

The Boston Globe is reporting that Mario Batali is going to be opening Babbo Pizzeria at Fan Pier toward the western edge of the Seaport/Innovation District, with the 8,700-square-foot restaurant offering wood-fired pizza and pasta dishes and having separate bars for drinks, antipasti, and pizza, as well as an outdoor patio and private space for large groups. It had originally appeared that Babbo might open on Summer Street in the Fort Point neighborhood, but plans to open there never came to be, and by August of last year, it appeared that there were no plans in the works for Batali to open a place in Boston for the foreseeable future.

If all goes as planned, Babbo Pizzeria could be open at Fan Pier by the end of the year, according to the Globe.

[August 20 update: Universal Hub mentions that if the Boston Licensing Board approves of the plans for Babbo Pizzeria tomorrow, Mario Batali will pay $410,000 for the Castlebar's liquor license (the Castlebar was a Brighton bar that closed earlier this month). UH says that the mayor's office and several city councilors already support plans for Babbo.]

[April 14, 2015 update: The Boston Globe states that Babbo opens tomorrow evening at Fan Pier.]

[Earlier Articles]
Mario Batali Might Be Opening Babbo Pizzeria in Boston
Confirmed: Mario Batali's Babbo Pizzeria and Enoteca Will Not Be Coming to Boston's Fort Point

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Mario Batali's Eataly May Be Coming to Boston

It looks like a celebrity chef might be bringing a location of his popular Manhattan emporium to Boston.

The Boston Globe is reporting that Mario Batali and his business partners are checking out sites in Boston as possible locations of Eataly, a huge Italian marketplace that first opened in 2010 in the Madison Square section of New York. The article says one site that they are looking at is Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market, though they are also interested in the city's Back Bay neighborhood as well as other parts of Boston. If Eataly does come to the city, it wouldn't open until at least 2015.

The Globe article says that another Eataly--which will be even bigger than the original--is opening in Chicago this month.

[February 13, 2015 update: It appears that things may be moving forward with Eataly coming to Boston, as a response from Mario Batali last week to a follower's Twitter question on news about the place was, "we are very close !!!"]

The website for Eataly can be found at http://www.eataly.com/

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Confirmed: Mario Batali's Babbo Pizzeria and Enoteca Will Not Be Coming to Boston's Fort Point

Last fall we reported that New York-based celebrity chef, restaurateur, writer, and TV personality Mario Batali was planning to open Babbo Pizzeria and Enoteca on Summer Street in the Fort Point section of Boston. Earlier today, however, the opening of the eatery appeared to be in question after Batali posted a note on his Twitter page saying that things were "not looking good right now," and now we have confirmed that the plans have indeed fallen through.

According to a post on the chef's Tumblr page, Babbo "will not come to fruition," though Boston may apparently still in Batali's sights, as his restaurant group "will continue to look for the perfect location to serve the exciting and vibrant Boston community." For now, though, there will be no Babbo--or any other dining spot from Batali--in the area for the foreseeable future.

[August 28 update: The Boston Globe is reporting that Babbo in Boston's Fort Point neighborhood may have fallen through because of Mario Batali and the landlord (Lincoln Property) not being able to agree on a lease. The disagreement was apparently due to Batali's plan to have a wood-burning oven in the restaurant, with a "potentially costly system" that would be required to vent the smoke from it. (The article says that Lincoln Property did not wish to comment on the issue and Batali was unable to be reached.]

[September 12 update: A quick followup to this--a new article in The Boston Globe mentions that the landlord is now looking for another tenant to open a restaurant in the space where Mario Batali's dining spot had planned to be.]

Thanks to Eater Boston for bringing this to our attention.

[Earlier Article]
Mario Batali to Open Babbo Pizzeria in Boston

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Mario Batali Might Be Opening Babbo Pizzeria in Boston

A New York-based celebrity chef, restaurateur, writer, and TV personality is hoping to open a restaurant in Boston.

According to a post on his Twitter page, Mario Batali is planning to open Babbo Pizzeria somewhere in the city, with Eater Boston mentioning that the eatery could be opening in the Fort Point neighborhood or the Seaport District. Batali runs an award-winning place in New York called Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca along with OTTO Enoteca Pizzeria in New York and Las Vegas and Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles, Newport Beach, CA, and Singapore, so it is possible that the new restaurant could have components of all three places--or it could be an entirely new spot (stay tuned for updates).

[November 27 update: The Boston Herald is reporting that Batali's new restaurant will be located at 320 Summer Street in the Fort Point area, which ties into the following article that we posted in March: A New Restaurant May Be On Its Way to Summer Street in the Fort Point Area . The Herald also mentions that this will actually be a third location of the aforementioned OTTO Enoteca Pizzeria, though it is possible that it may be called Babbo Pizzeria in order to avoid conflict and/or confusion with Otto Pizza, a Portland-based eatery that has locations in Cambridge and Brookline. The pizza restaurant is actually not a done deal, as no agreement has been signed yet for the 6,500-square-foot space, according to the article.]

[April 5, 2013 update: The Boston Globe confirms that Mario Batali's upcoming restaurant is definitely going to be happening, and that it will be called Babbo Pizzeria and Enoteca. The article also says that the restaurant could be opening in the middle of the fall. (Thanks to the Boston Hospitality and Tourism Industry Blog for bringing this to our attention.)]

[August 26, 2013 update: Eater Boston mentions that a Twitter post from Mario Batali says an opening for Babbo Pizzeria and Enoteca in Fort Point is "not looking good right now." (Batali then goes on to say "[I'll] keep you posted.") As soon as we hear more about what might be going on with Babbo, we will post another update here.]

In addition to the restaurants mentioned above, Mario Batali also owns a number of other eateries in the United States and Asia, and can currently be seen on ABC's "The Chew." (He also starred on the Food Network's "Iron Chef America.") Batali is also known for his cookbooks and food/cooking products, many of which can be found at Eataly, his massive Italian emporium in New York. Mario's website is at http://www.mariobatali.com/

Thanks to Grub Street Boston for bringing this to our attention.


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