Inappropriate touching, unwanted spanking costs Las Vegas restaurant group $2M

Posted by News Room 16 July 2026
Inappropriate touching, unwanted spanking costs Las Vegas restaurant group M

Dive Brief:

  • Bouchon Restaurant and the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group must pay $2 million to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, according to a July 8 consent decree (EEOC v. KVP, LP dba Bouchon Restaurant, et al.).
  • Per court documents, since 2018, men working at Bouchon, a restaurant in the Venetian hotel, allegedly subjected men and women to sexual harassment. This included a male supervisor rubbing his genitals on a female employee’s buttocks, commenting on the size of a co-worker’s breasts, and spanking male and female employees against their will. Allegations also include requests for sexual acts and stalking of employees.
  • The court documents allege that Bouchon and the greater restaurant group failed to take appropriate action to prevent the harassment, even after receiving complaints, and that management subjected employees to retaliation for complaining.

Dive Insight:

EEOC’s Las Vegas local office director on Wednesday said the agency is committed to ending workplace sexual harassment in the restaurant and hospitality industries. Likewise, an acting regional attorney for EEOC’s Los Angeles district, Beatriz Andre, highlighted that such harassment “continues to be a problem in the restaurant industry.”

Earlier this year, Florida restaurant River’s Edge Bar and Grill agreed to pay $65,000 to settle a lawsuit, wherein the restaurant co-owner was accused of touching employees against their will and propositioning them. Ignored complaints and retaliation were also alleged in that case. 

Last week, another Florida restaurant, Joey’s New York Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant, agreed to pay $55,000 in an EEOC sexual harassment lawsuit, and in June, Missouri restaurant Miller’s Grill also agreed to pay a financial penalty to settle allegations of workplace sexual assault.

Minors are often put into vulnerable positions in restaurants, specifically. EEOC officials previously spoke to HR Dive about the pervasiveness of this kind of harassment, urging employers to address it swiftly instead of “trying to stick your head in the sand and pretend it’s not there.”