Tag Archives: restaurants

fearless restaurants lose court case over touchy feely employee, but dude also was charged before with being a peeping tom?

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Radnor PD socials, 2023

So I was somewhat gob smacked this morning when I logged into the Delco Times and saw an article about Fearless Restaurants and a lawsuit they recently lost.

Fearless Restaurant Group as in White Dog Cafe etc and my head is spinning. Is this guy still employed by them? How long has he been employed by them? How many of their restaurants has he worked in? Why would they have somebody on staff like this for so long? I have to ask what is the point of having a “good employee” from their owner perspective if he ends up costing them money in litigation later on? Is he still employed by them?

Former employees of Philly restaurant group win $200,000 judgment

Excerpt:

Philadelphia-area restaurant group won a $200,000 verdict after suing the company for protecting and enabling a sexual predator.

The lawsuit, filed in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas by attorney Ryan Grace, alleged two claims of negligence against Fearless Restaurant LLC, and two claims of assault and battery against Daniel Razionale, 37, Philadelphia.

Related article and excerpt:

Suit alleges restaurant owners ignored dangers of employing a ‘known predator’

Two former employees of a Philadelphia-area restaurant group have filed a lawsuit alleging the company protected and enabled a known sexual predator, allowing him to continue victimizing female employees while transferring him from property to property.

The lawsuit, filed in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas by attorney Ryan Grace on behalf of two women, alleges two claims of negligence against Fearless Restaurant LLC, and two claims of assault and battery against Daniel Razionale.

“In the complaint, we allege that a restaurant group that owns White Dog Cafe and other large establishments hired a man who was already on sex offender probation, let him molest multiple female co-workers, then sided with the abuser and tried to ostracize the victims from the Philadelphia area restaurant industry,” Grace said in a statement. “Fearless Restaurants seems to think that waitresses have to put up with being victimized and that getting groped is just part of their job. We are honored to help these women fight back against that toxic attitude in the service industry.”

After I posted the Delco Times article, people on social media said this wasn’t the first time litigation had been levied against this restaurant group for sexual harassment related things which I had never known. I thought they were making it up until I found the Philadelphia Magazine article from 2016:

https://www.phillymag.com/news/2016/01/22/white-dog-cafe-wayne-sexual-harassment-lawsuit/

Excerpt:

Dad Sues White Dog Cafe for Sexual Harassment on Behalf of Late Daughter

The restaurant’s owner Marty Grims calls the suit, which he has yet to be served with, “totally ridiculous” and says there is “absolutely no basis” for it.

by Victor Fiorillo· 1/22/2016, 11:47 a.m.

📌…”The lawsuit was filed last week by an Upper Darby father on behalf of his late daughter who, according to health department records, died by suicide on August 24, 2011, at the age of 21. The daughter, a West Philadelphia resident, worked at the Wayne location of the White Dog Cafe starting in 2010, and according to the lawsuit, she was subjected to unwanted advances and other forms of sexual harassment while employed there. (The names have been withheld out of respect to the family.)”📌

OK, I wasn’t aware of a toxic work culture, but if somebody who just patronizes a restaurant or two in a restaurant group occasionally, how would you know? Of course now this makes me wonder why sometimes when you go into one of these restaurants, they seem shortstaffed, right?

Then people started saying “oh well this isn’t the first time this guy has been charged with stuff like this.”

And guess what? It isn’t.

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/radnor-prowler-arrest-main-line/3604283/

https://patch.com/pennsylvania/radnor/peeping-tom-arrested-second-time-radnor-police

Of course, this all doesn’t jive with the other image this person is trying to cultivate does it?

A Deep Dive with Daniel Razionale: Exploring New Horizons

https://bmmagazine.co.uk/business/an-interview-with-daniel-razionale-exploring-paths-less-traveled/

I am literally just shaking my head. I am having a disconnect in my head of how a successful restaurant group with the founder’s daughter also at the helm had an employee like this? And all this stuff which amounts to a toxic work environment and culture?

I just don’t understand how as a woman in a managerial/ownership/leadership position you would want an employee like that? And I am bearing in mind that they want to give this person a second chance at a rehabilitated life but how long do problems continue before you deal with them?

And this man who’s been charged with this stuff, he’s sick, isn’t he? So why move him around like the articles indicate from restaurant to restaurant like a freaking pedophile priest in the archdiocese of Philadelphia and not get him help?

Here we are at 2026 and women are still being sexually harassed like it’s nothing in the workplace and when will it stop but then again women are still being raped at frat parties in college so when will that stop? Are young women new to corporate America in some cases being warned like I was once upon a time decades ago to keep my back to the wall when a certain male employee was in the copier room?

Sign me really disappointed in this restaurant group. Suffice to say it’s been a bad news cycle week for restaurants and restaurant groups in this area lately hasn’t it?

have you been to the eagle tavern lately? GO!

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The Eagle Tavern is Chester County History. Love that after centuries (literally!) they are still standing! It was built in 1702 and the liquor license dates from 1727. We weren’t even a country yet officially! The current building was built over the original structure circa 1799 according to what I was told. It’s survived what could have been a devastating fire in 2010 that was tragically accidental.

It closed for a while when the old owners decided to sell. In 2018 it opened under new ownership. I wrote about it then (click HERE). PA Eats also wrote about it back then (click HERE.)

If I have a story right before the current owner as of 2018 it was owned by the original family that had it for decades and then maybe the people that owned Carmines up the street had it for a while?

Anyway back in 2012, the Daily Local wrote:

The Eagle Tavern

Receiving a liquor license in 1727, the Eagle Tavern was once a hangout for pre-Revolutionary War outlaws the Doan brothers. Located at the fork of two main thoroughfares, it’s been run by owner Lois Jones and her family since the country’s Bicentennial in 1976. Lois can be seen today greeting guests and serving up hearty fare in the restaurant’s casual, friendly atmosphere.

The Eagle Tavern has a colorful history that I would love to learn more about. (Some of it is on their website.)

I used to go to the tavern under the old owners mostly for lunch over the years. I didn’t live in Chester County until a few years ago so back in the day it was truly a haul to get there.

When the Eagle Tavern first reopened in 2018 we went a few times. The first time was March, 2018. That is when I wrote my initial review. At that time the meal was awesome and we really enjoyed it. We went back a few other times later in 2018 and didn’t really like it as much. I never updated my review, I just went other places. The problem was the place was inconsistent. It got to be that it was never really horrible but it wasn’t so fabulous either.

So until today, we hadn’t been there in forever, literally. We had wondered for a while if they were still open because the parking lot was always empty. Then recently a friend told me that they were under more appropriate management, better management and they were doing their own beer and other things.

So this afternoon after taking a detour after attending a funeral, my husband and I decided to go back for a late lunch.

I am so glad we did! And I hope all of you go back to the Eagle Tavern, especially if you haven’t been there in a while!

The difference is remarkable! The inside has been further refined without losing its wonderful historic tavern feel. The menu has been revamped and is like a more modern version of what it originally was years ago. And the bathrooms have been done over and so has the staff. We had amazing table service today and an awesome lunch!

I know it sounds dumb, but I have been on the hunt for a traditional, old-school club sandwich. I don’t know what it is about that sandwich but that is a summer sandwich to me. Probably because growing up when you went to certain clubs and places that was always on a summer menu.

The sandwich was amazing. My husband enjoyed his lunch too and said that their home brewed beers were nice! Here are screenshots of the lunch menu:

Here is the link to all of the menus: CLICK HERE. The Eagle Tavern has upped their game considerably and remained true to the history. I like that they do not pretend to be other than what they are. And it’s lovely inside. Anyone can buy architectural salvage to dress up a new build restaurant, but you can’t imitate centuries of history.

We actually took the time to speak with the manager. Chester County residents who have lived out here a long time you will know his name immediately – Chip Nye. Yes, the old manager for years came back! And the difference is remarkable! And he’s excited to be there and his energy is echoed by the rest of the staff.

The Eagle Tavern is running again like a well-oiled machine, and the menu works and is well-prepared coming out of the kitchen and the staff is amazing. I actually look forward to future meals there. And I think it looks better than ever inside which is why I snapped a few photos.

Anyway I encourage folks to go and check it out. They also have music some of the time.

An old school tavern is so much better than a Disneyesque modern version of a pub. The folks from the Ship Inn should go check it out. The Ship is also tradition around here, but they need a makeover in parts of their restaurant, and the kind of aesthetic makeover at the Eagle Tavern and feel of it would also work at the Ship Inn. No, not to create twinsies taverns, I just think it would be good inspiration. Especially in that big dining room that screams 1970s banquet hall.

(Now don’t get out the pitchforks at me because I said the Ship Inn needs a makeover. It’s a cool place but Robert Irvine needs to visit and Restaurant Impossible is looking for places.)

Back to the Eagle Tavern: Today was lovely, look forward to future visits! Let me know what you think if you go!

don’t judge a restaurant by its strip mall

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Don’t judge a restaurant by its strip mall.

One of the things I have to get used to about Chester County are all the strip malls.  Face it, pick a road, there are lots of them.  One thing most people don’t think they will find in a strip mall is a fun place to eat.  Usually strip malls have fast food or chain restaurants.

Our plans changed yesterday and we decided to go out to dinner.  I wanted Mexican, but real Mexican, not the Taco Bell interpretation.

So I saw a place that got good reviews on both Urban Spoon and Exton Dish.  In a strip mall.  Called Buho’s.  It is in the Fairfield Place Shopping Center – 484-872-8840 – 115 Swedesford Rd, Exton, PA 19341.

We had an amazing meal.  I have not had Mexican so good since there was this little hole in the wall place years ago in the town of  West Chester that was in a store front across the street from what was Gilmores.  My friend Louise had introduced me to this place years ago (at least a dozen years ago), and since then, I had been looking for something as good.

Buho’s is terrific.  It is a BYOB.  Not fancy, but the murals on the walls are pretty cool.  They are also part market, so you can buy some fun Latin American stuff if you so choose – and if you want a piñata for a birthday party, they have quite the selection.

Buho’s was incredibly clean – including the ladies’ room. According to Yelp, Buho’s used to be in Lambertville, NJ before Exton.  If you check out the reviews on Yelp there is an annoying ad above the actual reviews.

Our waitress was so nice and knew her menu.  She spent time with us helping us choose.  We started with a Buho Mixto since it was our first time there – that was a sampling of a lot of things and could have been a meal in itself (we didn’t finish it) There is an extensive menu for dinner, including things like “Bistek a La Mexicana”.  They also do lunch and I think breakfast.  They have vegetarian options too. 

The food was not only more authentic than you find around here, but very fresh and flavorful.  And not super greasy like the food a lot of chain Mexican places put out. And the portions are very generous, so keep that in mind when you order. We came home with lots of yummy leftovers.

They also have a catering/take-out menu.

I hope I am raving enough, because the food was indeed rave worthy and we will go back!  I encourage others to try it too!

Again:

Buho’s- Fairfield Place Shopping Center – 484-872-8840 – 115 Swedesford Rd, Exton, PA 19341.

Buho means owl in Spanish, so there are lots of owls hanging out in the restaurant.  But they aren’t scary creepy like all the clowns that used to be in Gillaine’s in Ardmore.

what restaurants are favorites for valentine’s day in chester county?

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Hearts galore from Picket Fence Confections on Esty

Valentine’s Day is but a week away, so I thought I would ask what your favorite Valentine’s Day restaurant is in Chester County?

I have written about restaurants before (click here), and two of my favorites are Gilmore’s in West Chester and Birchrunville Store Cafe.  Both of these places are very romantic – one in a country spun sort of way, and the other more traditionally romantic.  And the food never disappoints.  Both are BYOB, so take a bottle of what you love with you.  I have been discovering that the wine selections in the Chester County State Stores are quite good – like the one in the shopping center with the ACME Market on Paoli Pike. (Mind you I am not encouraging anyone to drink, or drink and drive.)

The fabulous cookies in the photo are from Picket Fence Confections.  They can be found on Esty, and are baking tomorrow February 8th for Valentine’s Day so if you have the desire to buy your sweetie a treat that is much prettier than the average box of chocolates, check them out before NOON on February 8th.

My final note is this: you can check out restaurant reviews and dining suggestions on West Chester Dish.  I love this site and think it is very fun, and I have used their recommendations to do some culinary exploration!