Acclaimed Vegas Restaurant to Pay $2M to Settle Sexual Harassment Case

The Thomas Keller Restaurant Group will pay $2 million to resolve a federal sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The settlement, approved July 8 by a Nevada federal judge, concludes a years‑long investigation into workplace conduct at Bouchon, the acclaimed French bistro inside the Venetian Resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

Since at least 2018, the EEOC alleged, male supervisors and co‑workers at Bouchon subjected both female and male employees to daily sexual harassment — including repeated sexual comments, unwanted advances, sexually explicit behavior, and unwelcome physical contact.

According to the agency, complaints were made internally but the powerhouse Napa Valley French restaurant group failed to take effective corrective action, leaving employees vulnerable to continued misconduct. Some workers who reported harassment allegedly faced retaliation.

“Sexual harassment is illegal and continues to be a problem in the restaurant industry,” said Beatriz Andre, acting regional attorney for the EEOC’s Los Angeles District. “As it did in this action, the EEOC will continue to enforce federal law.”

The settlement requires the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group to distribute the $2 million to all eligible employees who worked at Bouchon Las Vegas between 2018 and July 2026. The EEOC will determine individual payout amounts based on its claims process.

In a statement, the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group responded: “It is disappointing when a public agency relies on self-congratulatory, deliberately misleading clickbait headlines to distract from its own current internal and external issues. Bouchon Las Vegas continues to prioritize evaluating and improving workplace health and welfare initiatives, and elected to resolve these nearly decade-old claims to dedicate resources to our staff and guests instead of litigation.”

Under the agreement, the restaurant group must also review and update its anti‑discrimination policies, expand harassment‑prevention training, and hire an external monitor approved by the EEOC. That monitor will conduct audits, evaluate the company’s human resources practices, and identify areas where complaint‑handling procedures need improvement. The monitor will report on Bouchon’s compliance for four years.

Worst Timing Possible

The case comes at a turbulent juncture for the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group, which operates the French Laundry, Bouchon Bistro, Ad Hoc & Addendum, and other Napa Valley establishments. The company is currently facing multiple lawsuits filed in 2026 by former French Laundry employees alleging labor and workplace violations.

Chef Thomas Keller, the group’s founder and a prominent figure in American fine dining, was not named as a defendant in the EEOC action.

The EEOC’s settlement does not require Bouchon or the restaurant group to admit wrongdoing, but it places the restaurant group under extended federal oversight as it works to rebuild workplace standards at one of the Strip’s most recognizable culinary brands.