The Thomas Keller Restaurant Group and its Las Vegas restaurant Bouchon will pay $2 million to settle a federal sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit, according to a consent decree filed July 8 in the U.S. District Court for Nevada.
The lawsuit, brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleged that since 2018, male employees at Bouchon in The Venetian hotel subjected both men and women to repeated unwanted touching and verbal abuse.
Court documents describe incidents including a male supervisor rubbing his genitals on a female employee’s buttocks, making comments about the size of a co-worker’s breasts, and spanking male and female employees against their will. The allegations also include requests for sexual acts and stalking of employees.
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Complaints ignored, retaliation alleged
The court documents allege that Bouchon and the broader Thomas Keller Restaurant Group failed to take appropriate action to stop the harassment, even after receiving complaints. Management also retaliated against employees who complained, according to the filing.
The consent decree resolves claims that the restaurant violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits workplace harassment based on sex. The $2 million settlement covers back pay, compensatory damages, and attorney’s fees. The group also agreed to implement new anti-harassment policies, conduct mandatory training, and report future complaints to the EEOC for a period of three years.
For workers in high-end Las Vegas restaurants, the case reveals a persistent gap between the industry’s polished public image and the reality of kitchen and floor culture. Many employees in tipped and hourly positions lack the leverage to push back against supervisors without risking their jobs. The EEOC’s involvement suggests that internal reporting systems alone have not been enough to change behavior.
Anna Park, the agency’s Las Vegas local office director, said Wednesday that it is committed to ending workplace sexual harassment in the restaurant and hospitality industries. Beatriz Andre, an acting regional attorney for the commission’s Los Angeles district, noted that such harassment “continues to be a problem in the restaurant industry.”
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A pattern of cases across the country
The Bouchon settlement is part of a broader enforcement push by the EEOC against restaurants. Earlier this year, River’s Edge Bar and Grill in Florida agreed to pay $65,000 to settle a lawsuit, where the co-owner was accused of unwanted touching and propositioning employees. Ignored complaints and retaliation were also alleged in that case.
Last week, Joey’s New York Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant, another Florida establishment, agreed to pay $55,000 in an EEOC sexual harassment lawsuit. In June, Missouri restaurant Miller’s Grill paid a financial penalty to settle allegations of workplace sexual assault.
EEOC officials have previously spoken about the particular vulnerability of minors working in restaurants, urging employers to address complaints swiftly rather than “trying to stick your head in the sand and pretend it’s not there.”