Cafe Gitane Was 'a Vanguard of Cool.' Now Employees Say They Can't Get Paid

"In its 1990s heyday, Cafe Gitane was an impossibly hip place where it wasn't uncommon to run into David Bowie or Helena Christensen during brunch. Opened by Luc Lévy, a former cabdriver from Paris by way of Casablanca, the Nolita cafeteria remained a regular stop for celebrities - sightings of Michelle Williams and Spike Jonze were reported into the 2010s - as well as, as this magazine once put it, "other people with lots of free time to steal glances at each other.""

"At both the original Mott Street location and a second outpost in Vinegar Hill, current and former employees allege Lévy has neglected to pay them. They report falling behind three to five paychecks - and have heard that some of their co-workers are owed even more. The situation is hardly a secret: Among staff, and with Lévy, they've talked and texted about the money they're owed, some of which, it's been said, runs up to tens of thousands of dollars."

In the 1990s Cafe Gitane was an impossibly hip Nolita cafeteria frequented by celebrities and known for a stylish brunch scene. Luc Lévy opened the restaurant after emigrating from Paris via Casablanca. The cafe's popularity waned before a recent revival that drew a younger crowd under general manager Isobel Lola Brown. Current and former employees at both the Mott Street and Vinegar Hill locations allege Lévy has neglected payroll, falling behind three to five paychecks and sometimes owing co-workers tens of thousands of dollars. Payments reportedly arrive in dribs and drabs. Brown confronted Lévy over the debts and resigned.

Read at Grub Street