Hempfield casino and restaurant owners deny discrimination allegations

A spokesman for the owners of Live! Casino and Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar denied a former employee’s allegations of racial discrimination at the restaurant located inside the Hempfield casino at Westmoreland Mall.

“Live! Casino Pittsburgh and Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar are proud of the jobs we have created in Westmoreland County, are committed to our team members, and are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The allegation that our compensation varies by race is simply false,” spokesman Tom Meinert said in an email statement Monday evening.

Earlier that day, a small group gathered in the parking lot of the mall to protest with Nate Ridley. A former line cook at celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar, Ridley filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, saying he was subjected to racial discrimination, harassment and workplace retaliation at the restaurant.

Ridley, 46, of East Pittsburgh said he was among the first employees hired at the eatery and helped open the facility. He said he left after management failed to address his complaints about a manager’s use of a racial slur and later learned he was being paid $13 an hour when a white employee with less experience was making $15 an hour.

The popular TV chef’s franchise restaurant began operations late last fall when the Live! Casino, owned by the The Cordish Companies of Maryland, opened its doors. The grand opening of the facility, with 500 employees, just days before Thanksgiving followed a year-long, $150 million remake at the space vacated by the Bon-Ton department store.