A Classic Manhattan Restaurant At one time Frank Sinatra was a frequent visitor here And the Rat Pack is accused of inciting hatred toward Albanians and stealing more than $1 million in wages, according to two lawsuits filed this week in federal court.
The owners of Patsy's Italian restaurant allegedly told two Albanian workers that “all Albanians deserve to be shot,” that they were “gay” and “trash,” and even said that the adults and young children of the nascent Balkan nation “deserve to be gone,” an explosive federal complaint says.
These disturbing comments were raised while discussing the similarly named and Albanian-owned Patsy’s Pizzeria, with which Patsy’s Restaurant has had a long-standing feud. Trademark dispute pulling Back To 1999According to court documents, this is allegedly the root of anti-Albanian hatred.
“It is shocking that such a successful restaurant could be so cruel to its waiters, engaging in both blatant discrimination and blatant wage and tip theft,” said Maiman Kirshenbaum, a lawyer suing the West 56th Street eatery, where a plate of spaghetti and meatballs costs $32.99.
The second lawsuit claims the restaurant is also accused of stealing tips and underpaying employees by illegally altering their time cards. Kirshenbaum said that while he doesn't have a final figure, the total amount of stolen wages — plus related penalties — will exceed $1 million.
The worker couple who brought the suit, Kreshnik Hoti and Desiarte Ymeraga, are Kosovo-born Albanian Muslims who have worked at Patsy's restaurant for years.
According to court documents, on Hoti’s first day at the helm in 2017, co-workers told her not to disclose her Albanian heritage because co-owner Sal Scognamillo’s hatred for the business was so intense as a result of a long-standing feud with Harlem-based Patsy’s that they warned that “if they found out she was Albanian, they would fire her.”
The lawsuit, which describes the eatery as “just like any other expensive Italian eatery in a city full of overpriced Italian eateries,” claims that when Scognamillo found out the Albanians were working for him, the two immediately became targets of harassment, ridicule and abuse.
Scognamillo regularly said “disgusting” things about the pair in front of the entire staff.
The lawsuit claims the owner said, “Albanians don't eat pork, but they do eat pinga”, used the Spanish slang word for penis, and referred to his Muslim beliefs.
In their mass wage theft lawsuit, which could include at least 40 potential plaintiffs, the couple alleges that Scognamillo, his wife Lisa — who is a co-owner of the restaurant and an attorney — and their son Joseph regularly forced workers to work long hours without pay, and directed them to come to work after hours and leave early during shifts.
“If they did not do so, their shifts would be cut short or they would be fired,” court documents state.
Scognamillo also changed schedules after the incident and rarely paid overtime, the lawsuit says.
The family-run restaurant also “brazenly” stole from the tip pool, taking as much as $200 to $300 at a time, according to court documents.
“I have unfortunately observed during my years of practice that the restaurant industry is often a hotbed of discrimination and prejudice related to national origin,” Kirshenbaum told the Post. “Having said that, the facts of this case are beyond comprehension.”
Neither Sal nor Lisa Scognamillo responded to a message requesting comment.
The Midtown restaurant — which also serves $34.99 chicken piccata and $42.99 veal Francese — boasts its famous clientele, including Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney and Tom Hanks, and its relationship with “Ol’ Blue Eyes” on its website.
“Patsy's Italian Restaurant has been known for years as the restaurant that Frank Sinatra made famous, and in fact, whenever his family is in town, they enjoy a meal at Patsy's Italian Restaurant,” the site states.
“In addition to Sinatra and family, Patsy's Italian Restaurant has become a favorite among countless stars on both the East and West coasts who consider Patsy's Italian Restaurant the mecca of Italian fine dining.”
