Lawsuit News

Ex-employee sues Dallas restaurant group for discriminatory practices

Lawsuits are terrible, how about this pasta.

Drake's

A Dallas restaurant group has been sued for discrimination by a former manager. A lawsuit was filed on July 19 against Vandelay Hospitality Group, which owns East Hampton Sandwich Company, Hudson House, Brentwood, and Drake's Hollywood, by Glenn Govias, a former manager at Drake's Hollywood, alleging widespread discriminatory practices.

Filed by McCathern PLLC, who courteously sent out a press release, the lawsuit alleges that the company, its CEO, and COO, fostered a toxic environment of racist, sexist, and homophobic employment and customer service practices in violation of Chapter 451 of the Texas Labor Code.

It also alleges fraud, breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and other charges.

Govias was fired by Vandelay in November 2020. He previously worked for Pappadeaux Seafood Restaurant in Richardson for nearly 20 years, and before that, worked for Chili's.

He alleges that members of senior management insisted that he and other employees "fire the Black guy," "fire the Mexican guy," or "fire the ugly girl," for no justifiable employment-related reason.

Govias also alleges that hosts were instructed to turn away non-white customers under the pretext of unspecified "dress code violations," and to reject reservation requests from guests believed to be of African American, Middle Eastern, or Hispanic heritage because of their surnames.

The lawsuit says that Govias was fired because he refused to follow those orders. "Ultimately, Mr. Govias himself fell victim to Vandelay's corrupt culture under [founder Hunter] Pond's leadership, when he was fired on pretextual basis for refusing to carry out his bosses’ discriminatory orders and in retaliation for filing Worker’s Compensation claim after serious workplace injury," the lawsuit says.

Govias was fired after suffering an accident on the job, when he fell off a ladder and hurt his neck. He filed claim for compensation for his work-related injury with the Texas Department of Insurance but Vandelay said he had used up all his time off.

The full petition is posted online.

Vandelay responded with a statement, saying, "VHG strives to maintain a professional and rewarding work environment for all of its employees. The company vigorously disputes Mr. Govias' allegations and trusts in the legal process to resolve these claims properly."

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Bagel News

Buzzy Northeast chain PopUp Bagels ready to debut in Dallas

PopUp Bagels

PopUp Bagels coming to Dallas.

A buzzy bagel concept founded in the Northeast is coming to Dallas: Called PopUp Bagels, it famously started as a backyard project during the pandemic, and will open a location at Inwood Village, in the former I Heart Yogurt shop (which only just closed), next to the Inwood Theatre at 5450 W Lovers Ln. #143.

Signage has already gone up on the location and according to a spokesperson, the shop will open in early spring.

PopUp Bagels was founded in Westport, Connecticut by entrepreneur and home baker Adam Goldberg, with his cousin Jeff Lewis, as a side project during the pandemic, when everyone was baking at home. The bagels earned such a warm reception that Goldberg started hosting bagel popups in various locations near his home.

The concept's success has been helped by a national surge of interest in bagels, as well as viral moments on TikTok and other social media. Goldberg sold the concept to equity growth firm Stripes in 2023, who drew celebrity investors such as Paul Rudd and Michael Phelps, with plans to open hundreds of locations across the U.S. Talk is cheap but for now, there are 23 locations in New York, Maine, Florida, Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, and North Carolina.

One of their selling points for a seamless expansion is that they've kept things simple including a compact menu of bagels, spreads, and a pound of smoked salmon. There's a minimum purchase of three bagels, along with a mandatory tub of cream cheese or butter, for $12, and they only offer five flavors: plain, salt, poppy, sesame, and everything.

Bagels are sold whole only, no sandwiches and also not sliced — leading to their nickname "rip and dip," in which customers rip the bagels and dip them into spreads. Their texture is softer and lighter than the classic New York dense bagel, making them easier to "rip."

They're also known for their collaborations on over-the-top schmear flavors — beyond their regular original cream cheese, scallion cream cheese, and vegan cream cheese — which they rotate in with frequency. Recent specialty schmears include Honey Chipotle Cream Cheese, Salted Maple Banana Bread Schmear, Cheez-It Schmear, and a Lemon Pepper Schmear just announced with WingStop that summons the wing chain's Lemon Pepper sauce.

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