Il Fornaio agrees to $3 million settlement over widespread sexual harassment claims

Il Fornaio, a California-based Italian restaurant chain operating 15 venues in California and Nevada, has agreed to a $3 million settlement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC alleged that at least 100 female employees, many of them teenage first-time workers, endured repeated sexual harassment—including forceful groping, requests for sexual favors and explicit remarks—and faced retaliation when they complained.

Incidents were reported at sites in Pasadena, Irvine, Manhattan Beach, Palo Alto and other Southern California locations. Il Fornaio maintains that there is no company-wide pattern of discrimination and called the settlement a means to avoid prolonged litigation, not an admission of guilt. The deal also mandates three years of company-wide reforms, such as restoring a dedicated HR department at each restaurant and hiring an external monitor to ensure Title VII compliance. The EEOC praised the settlement as a step toward curbing workplace harassment in the broader restaurant sector.