‘I got axed for HIV’

Server sues eatery

A server at Chelsea hot spot Buddakan says he was fired for being HIV-positive.

Jack Mountford, 27, told The Post he “loved” working at the Ninth Avenue Asian eatery, where stars such as Hugh Jackman and Drake dine on Mongolian lamb chops and Cantonese steamed sole.

Mountford, an actor-dancer who started working at Buddakan in February 2013, rose from server to “closer,” the “go-to guy” tasked with turning over tables and pushing pricey bottles.

The Orlando, Fla., native said that on a good week he’d ring up $20,000 in sales. But he was unceremoniously fired last summer, according to the Manhattan federal suit against Buddakan and the Starr Restaurant Organization.

Mountford (inset), whose lawyer is Paul Liggieri, has been HIVpositive since the spring of 2010. He notified the general manager and other managers at the time, the suit says, because on occasion he needed to fly home to meet with his medical team.

Buddakan management accommodated Mountford, allowing him to take breaks so that he could inject himself in the stomach with medication, the suit says.

“I was a fast table turner and I was great with people. My sales were incredibly high,” Mountford told The Post.

A scathing August 2015 review in Eater NY prompted a management overhaul, and in June 2016, owner Starr Restaurants brought in a new general manager, Brandon Wergeles, the suit says.

After Mountford returned from a weeklong vacation last June 17, he was told by a colleague that Wergeles had been meeting with other managers to discuss Mountford’s health.

A week later, Mountford said, he was confronted by Wergeles and two other managers.

He was told he had “became a liability” because a patron alleged his credit card was charged twice on a $62 bill, the suit says.

He was also accused of taking an unauthorized vacation. Mountford denies both allegations.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. Buddakan did not return messages seeking comment.