Staff who worked in a popular New York restaurant have said that they were sexually assaulted by the establishment's owner while working.

Former workers of the West Village's Spotted Pig restaurant alleged that Ken Friedman groped, bit, and harassed them while they worked. The restaurant's third floor was nicknamed 'the rape room' due to the number of alleged incidents that occurred there. Spotted Pig server, Trish Nelson, told the New York Times that Friedman "grabbed her head and pulled it towards his crotch" in front of actress Amy Poehler in 2007. Nelson said that she quit her job after Friedman pinned her against a car door and tried to kiss her.

“I was terrified to tell anyone why. Ken bragged about blacklisting people all the time. And we saw it happen.”

Several other servers have also made allegations about the restaurant owner, claiming that he groped and demanded sex from them during their time there.

Friedman responded to the allegations earlier this week, saying that "some incidents were not as described" and that he apologised for his actions. He also said that his behaviour was "abrasive, rude, and frankly wrong" and that the servers who work in the Spotted Pig “... are among the best in the business and putting any of them in humiliating situations is unjustifiable.” This comes after celebrity chef Mario Batali was accused of sexual harassment by four women. Batali is alleged to have groped an unconscious woman in the Spotted Pig in 2008. Following the allegations, the restaurant's executive chef, April Bloomfield, took to Instagram to apologise for not being "more unrelenting." She said:

"I fell short, and I am filled with anger and regret that, in the past, some of my staff were subjected to humiliating and degrading treatment. "I can say with confidence that I have and will never condoned sexual harassment in the workplace. "Now I am learning the extent of events, often kept from me, and I know I should have been even more unrelenting. For this - way too late - I am truly sorry."

https://www.instagram.com/p/BcqnG7hhWsW/ Friedman has since taken a leave of absence from the management of his restaurants.