Ex-waitress: I served pig
Jade BudowskiB worked as a waitress at the Tribeca Grill, located in H Harvey Weinstein’s office building, fromf July 2016 to January 2017. Here she recounts the mogul’s regular businessb meetings and nighttime assignations at the restaurant — and being a target herself. (Bud (Budowski is now a reporter/ producer at decider.com)
HARVEY Weinstein was every bit theth sleazy Hollywood caricatureicatu recent reports have made hi him out to be. When I was working as a waitress, I watched numerousnumerou times as a string of young womenwo — some seemingly no older than 21 — entered the restaurantrestauran for long, flirty dinners with him,him even though he was married withw five children. These women were all the same: vaguelyvag European, always beautiful,beautiful stylishly dressed, and totally outou of place next to someone like him.h The staff could usually tell that the woman was there to meetm him before she had even said a word. If a woman waited forfo him at the bar, he’d bellow fu furiously at more than one of us for not having seated her prior to his arrival, despite the fact thatt she’d insisted on it. “Why the f- -k isn’t she at the table?” he’d yell. The rit ritual for his rendezvous was very firm. Champagne, caviar, and an unspoken rule that Weinstein and his date not be disturbed. T The pair would sit close, whisperin whispering and touching each other suggestively.su After dining, Weins Weinstein and a woman would often disappear for a while, exiting the restaurant through a side door. A fellow server told me: “WhenW a girl arrived w waiting for Harvey, we all knew what was in store for her. After a littl tle small talk and a sip of ch champagne, there would be an ‘office tour’ — usually well pastpas working hours, after which the girl would return look- ing worse for wear and barely able to finish the glass.”
One “office tour” — a term we used jokingly — began with a firm order from Weinstein that his table not be cleared, and so the food sat, untouched, for hours. When the uncomfortable girl finally returned about two hours later, they sat down and resumed conversation as if no time had passed, keeping us there until he decided he was ready to leave, often around midnight.
Many of the women he saw would return for second or third dates. Sometimes, Weinstein and a woman would come back to the restaurant the next morning, with her sporting wet hair and the same clothes.
As he attempted to charm his guests, he terrorized the wait staff.
In his signature black T-shirt and jeans, he’d sidle over to one of his two favorite tables in the back. He would almost never look you in the eye, too busy reading the paper or biting off an assistant’s head.
His food tastes were those of a toddler. He’d regularly order “well-done” fries, chopped-up fettuccine, ice cream with extra sprinkles and French onion soup that he would slurp and splatter all over the booth.
Always, a bottle of still water was expected as soon as he arrived.
Once, a co-worker brought him sparkling water instead. He made his frustration known by attempting to tap her butt to get her attention.
Inappropriate touching was a habit of his. If you weren’t paying attention and the restaurant was loud, he might lurch at whatever part of you he could reach. Once, while I put in an order at the computer, he barreled up and body-checked me. Then, as if nothing had happened, he barked: “Back. Coffee. Tea. Now.”
Even though I’ve not seen him for six months, this week’s revelations brought back terrible recollections. The feelings of anxiety and degradation he inflicted on all of us — especially the women — continue to plague me to this day.