Service workers’ union Unite Here Local 25 has filed a motion in Manhattan Supreme Court to get to the bottom of an incident that took place during the grand re‑opening of Babbo on Oct. 27. The union is asking for CCTV footage from inside and outside the Waverly Place restaurant, any internal communications about the inflatable rat called Scabby, and a roster of all employees who were on duty that night, together with their personnel files.
The union argues the owners of Babbo – including Stephen Starr’s Starr Restaurant Organization – should be forced to disclose information that will allow Local 25 to pin the culprit down. They also want access to customer data such as credit‑card receipts and reservation logs.
According to the court filing, the alleged attacker was about six feet tall, white, had a crew‑cut blond (or similar‑colored) beard, and wore a navy or black suit with a white button‑down shirt similar to the restaurant’s uniform. A Union member had just started setting up Scabby when someone claiming to work for Starr told him to take down the inflatable rat and warned that authorities were about to be called. A few minutes later, the rep heard the sound of air slamming out of Scabby and saw a suspect holding a small knife.
Unite Here Local 25 says it will sue whoever is found responsible for the knife attack, insisting that “No one should disrupt a peaceful protest with violence like that.” The Starr Restaurant Group has yet to respond to a request for comment.
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