Restaurant group negotiating buyout with Mario Batali

NEW YORK— The restaurant group coowned by Mario Batali said it has been “actively negotiating” to buy out the celebrity chef facing sexual misconduct allegations.

TheB& BHospitalityGroup said Batali and partner Joe Bastianich have signed a letter of intent, and final terms could be set by July 1.

The New York Police Department confirmed it’s investigating Batali after a woman told “60 Minutes” that Batali drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2005. Batali denies assaulting the woman. Batali is also a minority shareholder in the Eataly USA chain of food emporiums/ restaurant hubs, according to a spokesperson for the company. The chain includes a location on East Ohio Street in Chicago as well as outlets in New York, Los Angeles and Boston.