When walking west on 46th Street in Manhattan (Restaurant Row), one of the first stops you hit is "Joe Allen". This is one of four Joe Allens owned by the restauratuer of the same name. The other three are in Miami Beach, London and Paris. These are just four of the dozen or so restaurants (including Orso) that Mr. Allen owns. Joe Allen also had the good fortune of Rosie O'Donnell's free advertising when she'd mention her latest adventure while dining there, back in the day when Rosie had a talk show and middle America loved her... you know, before the midwest housewives found out she was a lesbian.
I've often walked by and thought I might try the food, although the prospect of paying $13.50 for a cheeseburger seems a bit over the top. Well those thoughts are no longer a problem.
From the New York Times:
On Thursday night, the bars were surprisingly lively, especially the hush-hush upstairs joint on 46th Street owned and managed by Joe Allen, the restaurateur. Sinatra played, the low lights flattered older women, the veal was said to be delicious. Mr. Allen, fastidious in velvet, sat at a table passing on a story he had heard about the chief carpenter at the Belasco — or maybe it was the Minskoff — who was losing $8,000 a week because of the strike.
“Think about that for a moment,” Mr. Allen said. “Eight thousand a week. Times 52 weeks — or let’s just say he only works 30. That’s a lot of money in the bank.”
Sitting at the bar, an elegant bald man, who had ordered the veal, raised his fork and agreed.
Mr. Allen’s understanding of the situation is that years ago, when Broadway was “smoking,” the producers cut a deal with the stagehands’ union to pad the payroll and thus avoid a strike. Then, in recent years, a younger generation of producer came along, one who no longer wished to tolerate the union man who will sometimes sit, as it is said, on a beach chair in the back of a truck.
“I saw them picketing the other day on 44th Street and thought to myself, ‘That’s the hardest they’ve worked in years,’” Mr. Allen said.
Mr. Allen's "understanding of the situation" is completely false. My understanding of Mr. Allen is that he an elite snob. To think that his man, who probably never worked hard a day in his life, can sit there and exhort the situation of the union laborer while dressed in velvet, sitting in a restaurant that he owns while most likely hiring illegal immigrants at slave wages to work in his kitchen, makes my blood boil.
One can picture the velvet clad highbrow, with a cigar in one hand and a jewel-encrusted goblet in the other, trying to impress those who enter his establishment with his wisdom of how life works.
The unforunate part is that people will read this piece of shit and take it as fact. It's bad enough that the League of American Theaters and Producers are misquoting salaries and contract rules, but now this asshole is actually exaggerating the exaggerated!
Well, fuck you, Mr. Allen. I am making it my mission to see to it that every working man knows how you feel and they'll thank you by never stepping foot in your establishments. I know of at least 3000 union members that would have an opinion of how you perceive them.
Game on, brohim!
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13 comments:
well hello there,
Contrary to what you think,Joe Allen built up his business in the Theater District the old fashioned way, which is by working. He was the bartender for many years before taking on the semi-retired ownership role he now has.
Joe Allen does not hire slave laborers, and just because you say it doesn't make it true. I am an employee at Joe Allen in NYC and I have to tell you that what you say here is a joke.
Joe Allen supports over a hundred employees who are all hurting because of your strike. We all look forward to the holiday season to make a few extra bucks, pay the bills, buy presents for family and friends, and generally make up for the slow summer season with a few extra bucks. I read a sheet given to me by a striking worker that said that you all are just trying to pay for your first home, not the third or fourth home that the producers have. Well, the restaurant employees that work in the theater district right now are just trying to pay rent, and what you've done hurts us all.
Next time you think you have something intelligent to say, why don't you think before you open your mouth. The 3000 or so members of Local One should understand that the good money that you make per year far outweighs what we make, and we work damn hard to make sure that our part of a "Theater Evening Out" is done well. As long as the stagehands continue to stand outside and strike we all will hurt. You will eventually go back to your job with benefits while we will be hurt through the whole season what with people canceling their plans for the holiday because of this shameful strike. Shame on you, and shame on Local One for not thinking of all the OTHER families that they are hurting by doing this.
I understand that this is hurting everyone, but for Mr. Allen to sit there and insult the union or the industry that he built his restaurants around, especially by spitting out ridiculously non-factual information is unacceptable to me.
Maybe next time HE should think before his opens his mouth.
We all hope this can be resolved soon. We've worked without a contract for three and a half months and still continued to work after we had rules imposed on us. So there came a time when were had to stop thinking of "OTHER families" and had to think about our own. I'm sorry you don't understand this.
Union stagehands don't make $8000 a week and sit on the backs of trucks in beach chairs. Just because Joe Allen says so, doesn't make it true.
I don't like what the producers are doing either...none of us do. Fact is a lot of spoiled people are ruining the holiday season for a lot more of us.
Joe Allens and Orso have a reputation above the other resturants on the block. after the end of Sam's (Charlies), J.R.s and Barrymores, the market should open up for Joe's and Orso... BUT NOW.
I will make sure to remind my fellow show-business professionals of Mr Allen's unfriendly comments to the Times.
The tourists like to go and look at famous people...let them go look at the flop wall, alone.
Thanks Alot Joe Allen!
Anonymous (the first one who commented), do you refer to the WGA strike as shameful, or did you refer to the auto workers strike as shameful, or the 802 strike as shameful, or the taxi drivers strike as shameful, or the MTA strike as shameful? If not, is this strike shameful simply because it has a direct effect on you and your co-workers? A strike is the unionized workers' recourse against what that union considers unfair labor practices or negotiations conducted in bad faith. We all have opinions, generally formulated based on how the situation affects "us" (we are so big on the "me" factor in this country), but if you have never participated in the profession in question, you have no right to assume that you know whether their reasons for walking out are shameful or not.
I'm not saying that you are incorrect that the actions of Local 1 have affected many people--particulary the other people working on and behind that stage by the way, but it takes two as the saying goes--the League is just as much a part of this (or have you conveniently forgotten that they threatened to lock the union out 3 times in September until they realized that that press wasn't working so well for them). A union that has not struck in 120 years doesn't make this decision without cause--why does no one factor this in??? And you know what, as big business takes hold, more and more workers are going to be forced into this position. Perhaps someday it will be the very hard working people in the restaurant industry and I assume that you wouldn't want people marginalizing the work you do because of incorrect information derived from media sources. I can see why someone might be a touch defensive of Mr. Allen's comments.... He is just the last in a long line of people attacking a group and a profession that they know nothing about.
I've been a regular--at least weekly patron--of the Joe Allen restaurant for years. I made an effort to eat there three times this week to support businesses in the theatre district. NO MORE FOR JOE ALLEN. I like the staff, but have never met Mr. Allen himself who is making all the profits. That he thinks so little of union labor--given all the unionized patrons including myself--is just disgusting. I know when I'm being insulted.
The MTA strike was illegal, so yes I think that was a shameful thing. When 7,000,000 count on you to get to work a strike is not something that you should take lightly. And now they are insisting that the rates be raised again for subway rides.
What it sounds like you are saying is that if a labor union strikes they are above reproach. If you disagree you're not allowed to have an opinion, or you'll be told that you "don't know what you're talking about" or "you don't know the issues".
I was told that Joe Allen said that those statements attributed to him were wrong, and he has told Local One as much. Stage hands have been dining at Joe Allen for as long as the restaurant has been open (that's 42 years) and he has been neutral about the strike since it started.
I'll say this ...Two groups of people that mutually make a lot of money should be able to mend their fences and keep Broadway up and running better than this. You pat yourself on the back because you haven't had a strike in 120 years? Maybe that has as much to do with the producers as it does with your union. And you're on strike now and aren't even scheduling talks until Sunday! There are not many people who think that it's all Local One's fault, but you're going to have to shoulder some of the blame. The other side is at fault as well, and between the two sides you've dropped the ball.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all, I sincerely hope that things get better. At least eat in the Theater District, help those who are being hurt and can't do anything about it.
I hope everyone posting here has a Happy Thanksgiving. Believe me when I say everyone is eager to get back to work.
If Mr. Allen has stated that he was either misquoted or taken out of context or even that the comments weren't even attributed to him, I haven't seen any retraction from the NY Times. Has he complained to the reporter of that column?
As far as not striking for 120 years, yes it does take both sides to negotiate in good faith. The difference this time is that it's not the same producers.
As of last night, the producers have not accepted a meeting for Sunday's talks. Contrary to what you might read in the paper about "salvaging the Thanksgiving week", the producers decided to cancel all shows for this week this past Monday morning.
As someone with an insider's track, you should know that the $8000/week anecdote was incorrectly attributed to Joe, that he has complained to the editors at the NY Times (the very morning the article appeared), has personally delivered a letter of apology to your Union Higher-Ups, and has offered to contribute to the Union's strike fund.
Incidentally, you're doing him the same disservice in your above response by attributing the lawn chair comment to him, when, in fact, those are the Author's words.
Guess it goes to show you just how easy it is to be misquoted these days.
You can rest assured that a man who has been feeding this community for more than 40 years has more sense than to insult the people that, in turn, feed him.
A note to both parties, could you please, at least, get back to the table. Please.
After reading the above post, i went back and reread everything you and others have posted on this topic, and i was a little dismayed by your tenor, BroadwayCarl.
You said Mr. Allen was "spitting out ridiculously non-factual information," yet you presume he hires "illegal immigrants at slave wages," which is disputed by the employee-poster. You said he's "probably never worked hard a day in his life," but any truly knowledgeable Broadway historian will tell you that before Mr. Allen worked behind his own bar for 20 YEARS, he was an employee of P.J. Clark's. And yes, you hopped on the lawn chair bandwagon. Now who's "spitting out ridiculously non-factual information" and "exaggerating the exaggerated"?
Granted, if those are Mr. Allen's true feelings, he certainly deserves to lose the Unions' business.
But I also think it's interesting that while the Stagehand's union is enjoying the support of AEA, you're forgetting that a good number of Mr. Allen's employees are Equity members, and by boycotting his establishment, you'll be hurting many of the people who publicly support your strike.
I worked for Joe Allen for 2 yrs. When I was hired the manager Mary the drunken slut told me never to talk to Joe because he could not care less about me. Which i found out to be true. You see i never listened i always said good morning or good evening he would only grunt. He is a brutal alcholic that sleeps with his massage therepist who is married maybe not anymore. The basement is rat infested and when i used to smoke down there i started nameing all of the mice and rats. They absolutely loved the potatos that would eventually make to Rosie plate along with countless other movie stars. I was happy to hear how much money he was losing but i am sure he paid someone off as he always does to get his way.
I AGREE WITH YOU 100% BROADWAY CARL!
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