What is Tom Colicchio's net worth? When 'Top Chef' judge was in soup for allegedly denying staff overtime payment
The non-controversial guy from the food world lost sleep when a labor lawsuit hit him flush on the head. Little did Tom Colicchio know that he'd have to explain himself, let alone the policies of his several restaurants. "It's just not true," he had said of the allegations leveled against him. For most it struck as odd and not because he was a neat guy but because Tom is worth a pretty penny.
In 2015, Lourdes Rivera and Emma Rivera, in their 48-page filing in the US District Court of Southern New York, claimed that they were not paid in full. Lourdes said she worked 33 hours per week at the NY-based sandwich chain 'wichcraft but was only paid for 27-and-a-half hours. "In addition to her scheduled hours, plaintiff Lourdes Rivera worked off-the-clock for half an hour each day, changing into and out of the required uniforms,” Take Part quoted the filing.
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It gets better from here. According to the plaintiffs, the workers were paid a below-minimum wage, their tips docked, and overtime denied. Calling Tom's restaurants a "boy's club," Lourdes alleged that one of her male coworkers secretly filmed her changing in the locker room. Unfortunately, when she brought it up with her bosses they turned a blind eye to it. According to the Kitchenette Jezebel, her superiors asked her to not bring in the cops and waited until she deleted the evidence entirely.
However, Tom stuck to his story, denied any and all claims leveled against him by Lourdes. "And as for the ‘boys’ club’ thing, 16 of our 34 managers are women, so that’s just not true," he told Take Part and added: "Also, at the Restaurant Opportunities Center, we were awarded the gold star award, and we have a long record of treating our employees really well." Another reason for him to not pull such a stunt would be that his net worth is at $20 million, a Celebrity Net Worth report noted.
Since then Tom has not been involved in controversies of similar shape and size. He is currently focused on 'Top Chef' and that has served him well. Over the years, he has established himself not just as the master of culinary arts but as a food critic as well. And that makes him irreplaceable on the competition series that he co-judges with Gail Simmons.
Catch more of Tom when 'Top Chef' Season 18 premieres on Bravo on April 1, Friday at 8/7c. For more information, check your local listings.
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