Larb Ubol was my favorite Thai restaurant in Manhattan. The friendly chef/owner had previously been at Zabb Elee in the East Village. My girlfriend and I went there to go to dinner tonight, only to find it closed. I did a search and found this article in Grub Street from Nov. 2, 2018:
Restaurateur Ratchanee Sumpatboon closed her Larb Ubol this week, after five years in Hell’s Kitchen. The chef and owner was, a source tells Eater, unable to renew her lease. She does reportedly plan to reopen the restaurant in a new location.
Do any of you have any more current information on whether or where she might reopen?
Also, when I did a web search under Ratchanee’s name, I found information about a class action suit by former employees who basically accuse her of making them work overtime and stiffing them. The latest information I could find was from September 6, 2018, when the case was apparently referred for arbitration. Does anyone have more up-to-date info on that? I recognize that restaurants’ profit margins are very narrow, but it’s not OK to abuse workers.
