Mario Batali Will No Longer Profit From Any Of His Restaurants

Following a series of sexual-assault allegations and a subsequent NYPD investigation, celebrity chef Mario Batali today walked away from all his restaurants. The New York Times reports he and the Bastianich family dissolved their business relationship, meaning Batali will cease to profit from any of the 16 restaurants including Del Posto, Babbo, Eataly, and Osteria Mozza.

The Times reports Tanya Bastianich Manuali will handle daily operations at the newly reorganized company; she and her brother, Joe Bastianich, bought out all of Batali's shares, though they would not share financial terms of the agreement. The writing has been on the wall since last year, when the company formerly known as the Batali & Bastianach Hospitality Group dropped Batali's name entirely.

This is perhaps the most serious financial fallout from the sexual misconduct claims against Batali. Previously, Food Network scrapped plans to update his show Molto Mario; he lost his hosting role on ABC's The Chew, and Target and Eataly stopped carrying his eponymous products. Batali is just one of a disturbing list of chefs and food-industry players accused of sexual assault and harassment in the past few years.

"The process of his divestiture is going really well considering how complex it is," Joe Bastianich told the Times in April 2018. "The real point of beginning will be when he departs from the company. ... It's about creating a post-Mario world."