Waitress sues Manhattan steakhouse Smith & Wollensky after 'being told by managers to perform sexualized acts like pouring water on her white uniform for tips and take drugs so she'd smile more'

A former server at Smith & Wollensky is suing the famed New York City restaurant over sexual harassment claims that include being told by managers to perform sexualized acts to receive her tips.

Brenna Gonzalez joined the Third Avenue restaurant as a server in November 2018 but claims that she was frequently subjected to sexual harassment by customers and staff in a hostile workplace, according to New York Daily News.

Then an 18-year-old college student, the lawsuit alleges that Gonzalez was groped approximately three times per shift in the restaurant’s to-go section.

Gonzalez filed a lawsuit Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court after claiming she was ignored by management when she spoke to them about the allegations. 

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Famed New York City steakhouse Smith & Wollensky is being sued by a former server over sexual harassment claims. Brenna Gonzalez alleges she was groped approximately three times per shift by customers and staff and had her tips withheld until she'd perform sexualized acts

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Brenna Gonzalez joined Smith & Wollensky as a server in November 2018 but claims that she was frequently subjected to sexual harassment by customers and staff in a hostile workplace

According to the lawsuit, Gonzalez’ managers and supervisors would withhold her tips until she did a sexualized performance such as pouring water over her white uniform.

A coworker told her that she was targeted for harassment because 'you look like a schoogirl', the suit claims, placing the blame on her for 'riling everyone up'.   

Gonzalez also claims a regular customer kissed her with no warning but that management told her to allow them to do it.

And she alleges she also felt threatened by harassment from staff citing an incident with a dishwasher at the restaurant. 

Gonzalez said the dishwasher left her a note telling her he knew what train she rode home and what stop she got off at, adding that he wanted to ride the subway with her.

She said she spoke to management about feeling unsafe but was still scheduled on the same shifts as the dishwasher.

The suit adds that on one occasion a manager told her that she should drink alcohol or take drugs so that she would smile more.

‘Whenever Ms. Gonzalez endured egregious sexual harassment in her workplace, management looked the other way,’ her lawyer Eric Baum said.

‘Ms. Gonzalez turned to management for help and they ignored her. The steakhouse Smith & Wollensky has shown no remorse and taken no disciplinary action against her aggressors that we are aware of, condoning a work environment in which Ms. Gonzalez feared for her safety. Instead, they forced Ms. Gonzalez out of the job she was relying on to help pay her way through college.’

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A representative for Smith & Wollensky said that they investigated Gonzalez's claims months ago when she first reported them but claimed their investigation found they were not true

‘Ms. Gonzalez hopes to shed light on a systemic problem that exists in the restaurant industry and particularly at Smith & Wollensky so that hopefully no other woman or female employee of Smith & Wollensky will have to endure such horrible treatment in the future,’ Baum added.

A representative for the steakhouse said that Gonzalez brought her claims to management months ago but that their own investigation concluded that they were not true.

'At that time, we investigated and found them to be completely without merit,' restaurant spokeswoman Allison Good told New York Daily News.

The iconic New York resultant opened in 1977 and is famed for its prime rib. It has since opened further steakhouses in Chicago, Boston, Columbus, Houston Miami Beach and London.

The restaurant counts billionaire Warren Buffett among its regulars and has been used as a filming location in movies such as American Psycho and The Devil Wears Prada.

In the lawsuit, Gonzalez is seeking unspecified damages over the sexual harassment claims.

She also seeks an order that employees at the restaurant are trained on sexual harassment prevention and that it overhauls its policies on handling complaints.

According to her Facebook account, Gonzalez left her job as a server the restaurant in June 2019.