In the wake of a New York Times’ report detailing physical and psychological abuse allegations against Noma and its chef, René Redzepi, major sponsors have pulled out of Noma’s residency in Los Angeles. The New York Times reports that American Express and Blackbird, a restaurant payment and loyalty start-up, have ended their partnerships with Noma. Eater Los Angeles has reached out to Noma for comment.
Journalist Kristen Hawley first reported that American Express would end the partnership on the evening of March 9 in her newsletter, “Expedite.” Hawley reported that the credit card company would cancel an industry dinner slated for March and step away from the partnership, according to an email from a representative of American Express and its reservations platform, Resy. The New York Times further reports that American Express had reserved six nights at Noma LA for its U.S. Platinum cardholders; three nights had been released to cardholders and sold out. According to the report, customers who bought tickets for those American Express nights can request a refund, while any remaining proceeds will be donated; the unreleased three nights will be given back to Noma. A representative from American Express confirmed the company’s decision to step away to Eater.
Eater has independently confirmed that Blackbird has also ended its Noma partnership; the New York Times first reported the news in its March 10 story. In a statement provided to Eater, LA Blackbird Founder and CEO Ben Leventhal (who co-founded Eater in 2005 and Resy in 2014) says, “René’s past practices, by his own admission, were unacceptable and abhorrent. We cannot lean on time elapsed and rehabilitation claims when these things resurface. Regardless of context, this is highly problematic behavior.”
According to the statement, all proceeds from ticket sales to Noma LA will be donated to organizations that advocate for hourly wage workers and hospitality industry professionals. Blackbird has also cancelled its events at Noma LA. The New York Times reports Blackbird bought about $100,000 worth of tickets for the residency; a spokesperson from Blackbird says that refunds will be available to ticketholders. “There are many restaurant workers, small producers, and purveyors who are going to be impacted by this situation,” Leventhal says in his statement. “We would like to reduce further damage to the LA-based restaurant community, and that will dictate how we act.”
As of 9:15 a.m. on March 10, references to American Express and Blackbird have been removed from Noma’s page on American Express-owned booking platform, Tock. Cadillac, which was slated to provide rides for Noma LA attendees, remains listed as the official vehicle of the residency. Eater has reached out to Cadillac for comment. Reservations for Noma, which are sold out to the public, remain hosted on Tock.
The sponsor exit comes amid an ongoing reckoning with Redzepi’s past behavior at Noma. In the New York Times story from Julia Moskin, dozens of former employees allege instances of Redzepi punching staff, assaulting employees with utensils such as a barbecue fork during service, and publicly shaming staff. Prior to the New York Times reporting, Jason Ignacio White, a former head of fermentation at Noma, began posting screenshots of anonymous messages that detail alleged instances of physical and mental abuse at Noma. In late February, he launched Noma Abuse, a website that collects and publishes testimonies from former workers.
In a statement shared with Eater, a spokesperson for Noma says the restaurant has made “meaningful changes” to transform its culture, including a fully paid internship program, improved hours and time off, a dedicated human resource team, and leadership training. In a statement, Redzepi says he has sought therapy over the past decade, stepped away from leading day-to-day service, and found better ways to manage his anger. “The organization we are today is very different from the one we started with,” Redzepi says in the statement.
On March 11, the first day of Noma’s Los Angeles service, White, alongside organizing group One Fair Wage, will lead a protest outside of Paramour Estate in Silver Lake beginning at 4 p.m. “For years, the culture surrounding René Redzepi and Noma has been celebrated without confronting the harm many workers experienced behind the scenes,” says White in a statement distributed by One Fair Wage. “I witnessed intimidation, unpaid labor, and a culture that pushed people beyond their limits while expecting silence in return.”