What is Joe Bastianich's net worth? 'MasterChef' judge was sued for skimming tips from staff
Joe Bastianich became a household name after he became a judge on FOX's hit culinary competition show 'MasterChef' and its spinoff show 'MasterChef Junior'. This soft-spoken Italian-origin restaurateur has earned a notorious reputation for his incredibly high standard of judging when it comes to the presentation of food. While his fellow judges- Gordon Ramsay and Aaron Sanchez obsess over flavors and texture, Joe places heavy emphasis on the aesthetics and plating of a dish alongside its flavor and taste, thus making him one of the most difficult judges to please.
But it is this meticulous attention to detail that has helped Joe become a highly successful restaurateur and amass an impressive fortune of $15 million. Read on to know all about Joe's journey from washing dishes and cleaning his parents' restaurant to co-owning 16 high-end restaurants across the globe.
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What is Joe Bastianich's net worth?
Joe was born in Astoria, Queens, in 1968. When he was four years old his parents purchased their first restaurant Buonavia. They later went in to purchase Villa Seconda. A few years later Joe's parents decided to sell both the restaurants and opened Felidia in Manhattan.
The celebrity restaurateur graduated from Boston College and worked with bond trading firm Merrill Lynch on Wall Street, before joining the hospitality industry. When his parents divorced in 1997, Joe's father transferred his share in rhw restaurants to him and his sister Tanya. Joe then teamed up with chef Mario Batali and opened Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca. The duo went on to open several restaurants across the globe. They even received the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Restaurateur Award in 2008.
However, in 2010, the duo got into trouble when their restaurant's employees sued them for skimming tips. According to the lawsuit filed Mario and Joe's restaurants had a policy of deducting 4 to 5 percent of wine sales from the tip pool in order to line the owners' pockets. The wait staff eventually grew fed up and demanded they receive their tips, reported Mashed. In 2012, the duo settled the lawsuit by paying over $5 million in settlements.
Despite the lawsuits, Joe's fortune continued to multiply. When his partner Mario decided to end the partnership in 2019, he relinquished all of his shares to Joe, which ended up raising Joe's net worth to an impressive $15 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Aside from running the restaurants, Joe's other sources of income include his television appearances on shows like 'MatserChef' and 'MasterChef Junior'. He also published several best-selling books and memoirs.
You can watch Joe on the upcoming 'MasterChef: Legends' Season 11. The show is set to premiere on Wednesday, June 2, at 8/7c only on FOX.
