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New York, 11:06 AM
Tue Dec 1
57 posts in the last 24 hours

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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of dreamadream dreamadream
    11/21/09

    In reply to New York Restaurant Owners Turn Evil
    Everyone should leave the owner alone. The email was sent to his employees and not meant for the world. The backlash is insane, it should all be directed towards the leak, the rat. I have read some of the comments and realized how sad and lonely nyc is. People are ready to pounce and slay the boss, how about just doing your job and have a normal life. All you people are angry and hateful, this has nothing to do with you and you revel in someone else's misery. Karma is a bitch to all you haters. Waiters are not the most responsible and trustworthy, so you do need t manage them somehow. All you angry people are so bored with your lives you need to feel connected through twitter, blogs and hate. Do you all feel better. Death threats, how dare you, those messages should be posted straight to the police. Paradou is a great place and it is consistently good, go to any great restaurant and speak to the owner, they are angry, impatient and my gosh use profanity. Reality sucks, this is what goes on in most restaurants that are successful.
     Reply
    SpyMagician approved this comment dreamadream was starred dreamadream was unstarred
    Image of SpyMagician SpyMagician
    11/21/09

    @dreamadream: I love these shill comments!

    The backlash is insane, it should all be directed towards the leak, the rat.
    Yes, that filthy dirty rat who doesn't want to be verbally abused by an owner who wants to threaten them.

    Paradou is a great place and it is consistently good, go to any great restaurant and speak to the owner, they are angry, impatient and my gosh use profanity. Reality sucks, this is what goes on in most restaurants that are successful.
    So you're saying a successful restaurant abuses staff so the boss can have an e-mail list so he can SPAM the loyal clientele? And these e-mails are so valuable, that employees must have their pay docked as a punishment for not gathering said precious e-mails?
     Reply
    SpyMagician was starred SpyMagician was unstarred
    Image of Ernest Gonzalez Ernest Gonzalez
    11/21/09

    @SpyMagician: you obviously know nothing about food or running a restaurant. The best thing about this story is that all of the Paradouche supporters have a place of their own, thus opening up tables around the city for those of us who are well versed in food. Thanks. Oh, this is not what makes a restaurant successful, trust me I've been doing this all my life.
     Reply
    SpyMagician promoted this comment Ernest Gonzalez was starred Ernest Gonzalez was unstarred
    Image of dreamadream dreamadream
    11/21/09

    @SpyMagician: You have a lot of free time, you are lucky. You need to get out and share that sparkling personality with an unsuspecting date. Stick with the diner crowd you neophite.
     Reply
    dreamadream was starred dreamadream was unstarred
    Image of SpyMagician SpyMagician
    11/21/09

    @dreamadream: Whatever you say, Vadim!

    Also, free time? I must say even if you are not a shill—or Vadim himself—it seems that the person with the most "free time" here is Vadim Ponorovsky himself. Between this note, the shill comments all over, calls to Gawker and others, this guy knows how to rip people to shreds but no clue where the bile towards him is coming from.

    Oh, Rod Blagojevich called. You two should go have a drink at whatever disconnected part of reality you and your "non neophyte’ restaurant exist in.
     Reply
    SpyMagician was starred SpyMagician was unstarred
    Image of SpyMagician SpyMagician
    11/21/09

    @Ernest Gonzalez: you obviously know nothing about food or running a restaurant.
    True. I don’t. Want to go 50/50 on the Paradou space when it goes belly up Spring 2010? We can be like good cop/bad cop. I will be beloved, you will be reviled and the restaurant will last forever!

    Nah, I have shards of glass I need to shove in my eyes until I scream. That’s a better investment choice!
     Reply
    SpyMagician was starred SpyMagician was unstarred
    Image of dreamadream dreamadream
    11/22/09

    @SpyMagician: Hey Spy Magician. I am Shitara, Princess of Power, maybe we can meet and pull rabbits out of each others colon. Love talk aside, bosses yell at their workers, workers often times deserve it. Would I like to be spoken to in this manner, no, but it is human nature to get angry. Sphincter says what? If you answer back you are a SPHINCTER. Pardon me, while I go change my diaper.
     Reply
    dreamadream was starred dreamadream was unstarred
    Image of SpyMagician SpyMagician
    11/22/09

    @dreamadream: I love the way anyone (*cough* Vadim and his shills *cough*) can justify this specific Paradouche-bags behavior as acceptable!

    Please keep on explaining human nature to us! Humanity needs this advice!
     Reply
    Edited by SpyMagician at 11/22/09 7:30 PM SpyMagician was starred SpyMagician was unstarred
    Image of BaconForTheSoul BaconForTheSoul
    11/21/09

    In reply to New York Restaurant Owners Turn Evil
    I feel like a lot of you are acting like children.

    This is a job, he is a boss. As he said, you don't have to work there. People bitching about basic respect, man the fuck up; if your self-esteem is in a place where a profanity laden e-mail really takes you down, go to therapy.

    I have a feeling this is the same type of boss who if you told him to fuck off at the end of a night, and you showed up on time for work the next day, he wouldn't mind.

    This is clearly about performance. Perhaps performance that none of you care about or even want from a restaurant, but he's not threatening to fire people who are gay, black, etc... he's threatening to fire people who Don't Do Their Job. That's how a meritocracy is supposed to be.

    Similarly, just because you work in a white collar environment doesn't mean you should expect the same rules to apply. Restaurants are a dirty, scrappy, rough and tumble business. People talk tough, and generally are tough. Look at David Chang's new cookbook. It's riddled with f-bombs.

    Don't feel like eating there anymore? fine.

    But don't worry about how other people are being treated if it's not discriminatory. At least this guy doesn't bullshit you.
     Reply
    SpyMagician promoted this comment BaconForTheSoul was starred BaconForTheSoul was unstarred
    Image of SpyMagician SpyMagician
    11/21/09

    @BaconForTheSoul: This is a job, he is a boss. As he said, you don't have to work there.
    Yes, in this flourishing economy that is not only an insult but what else exactly? Oh yeah, a threat to people who work for them.

    You're 100% right. People do not have to work for him. And he is the boss. But he simply has no right to behave this way to anyone. Being a boss does not mean being a jerk; millions of bosses who don't behave this way prove the point.

    And let's not loose track of what this comes from: Staff not being able to comply with the crazy demand that they collect e-mails from customers.

    Yes, Vadim is the boss. Of a failing business and soon-to-be-vacant storefront. Congrats on bringing them in!
     Reply
    SpyMagician was starred SpyMagician was unstarred
    Image of Ernest Gonzalez Ernest Gonzalez
    11/21/09

    @BaconForTheSoul: so you have the thickest skin in NY. This is not about weather some lazy fuck can do his job. It's about showing respect to your employees, your lifeline to a making, rent paying your vendor and attracting new client. I've work as a Chef and I command respect in the kitchen, but I've earned that respcet, my staff would bend over backwards for me cause I treat them as co-workers not slaves. By the way I worked at a very cushy job at UBS the worlds larges bank for 8 years. This job gave me alot of the tools to learn how to navigate my new job as a chef. My kitchen runs like clockwork and unlike your dirty, scrappy and rough description of the kitchen world. I will be happy to tell you that we have an all white very organized, extremely clean, kitchen. The pantry is a sight to behold and the labeling process and food storage would knock your socks off. Perhaps if Vadim would give every new employee a letter or copy of his nasry e-mail they could be held responsibe, since they knew what they were getting into. However, because you are a sorry excuse for a human being, and your not doing your job marketing your restaruant properly does not give yo the right to treat people like shit. Let me tell you something, we all know that e-mails do not work, as a matter of fact all intelligent people usually set their computers to spam, so this is a useless idea. Not to mention, have you eaten there, the best thing on the menu is the booze.
     Reply
    SpyMagician promoted this comment Ernest Gonzalez was starred Ernest Gonzalez was unstarred
    Image of BaconForTheSoul BaconForTheSoul
    11/21/09

    @Ernest Gonzalez: I wasn't trying to say he was a good guy, or that he should be commended for his behavior.

    All I'm saying is any outrage we express is insulting to his employees. They're people too, and they can do what they want. They'd leave if this is all there was too it.

    I have a feeling that this isn't the whole part of his personality, and that if this one instance was representative of the entirety of how he treats people, it'd be hard for him to walk down the street. Keep in mind we are judging a guy, a business, and his employees on a sole snapshot.

    For the record, I wasn't trying to imply that kitchen work is terrible, but that kitchens tend to have tougher work environments than, say, UBS. They don't have to, it's not a catch-all, but that's a side of the business that exists.

    If his employees are unhappy, they will walk away. If they think working there is better than the alternatives, they'll stay.
     Reply
    BaconForTheSoul was starred BaconForTheSoul was unstarred
    Image of a.nzibo a.nzibo
    11/21/09

    In reply to New York Restaurant Owners Turn Evil
    Seems like much ado about nothing. Never gotten a bollocking at a job where they require you to do something asinine? Most department stores collect email these days.... I'm not sure why all the hubub and the internet crusaders finding out all his personal info. Seems as childish as him actually. At the end of the day it's just a job... working situation. I'm sure most people here have been at a job where they hated their boss or the policies in the work place... doesn't seem like a huge injustice. I don't see any employees coming here anonymously to report him or contacting the department of labor. Was an interesting read, end of story.

    Oh.. would you look at that.... they require my email address to comment... hmmm
     Reply
    SpyMagician approved this comment a.nzibo was starred a.nzibo was unstarred
    Image of SpyMagician SpyMagician
    11/21/09

    @a.nzibo: Yes, how bizarre that a website would ask for an e-mail.

    But if I am going to a restaurant, why the %@&# should I give you my e-mail? If I like the place and you create an environment that is welcoming, guess what? I am there!

    Oh, and also, before I forget. Hello there Shilly McShillson!
     Reply
    SpyMagician was starred SpyMagician was unstarred
    Image of karts karts
    11/21/09

    @SpyMagician: speaking as a server (but not in nyc) i think it's important to point out that we can't MAKE people do anything. provide e-mail addresses, leave comment cards, etc...we can certainly ask but remember, our entire income is based on tips. and most people get freaked out when you ask them about personal information (like an e-mail address) outside of the context of, say, the internet. i know i certainly do.

    it is absolutely ridiculous that this guy is threatening his servers for not getting OTHER PEOPLE to do something voluntary. if they were not properly doing something within the normal realm of SERVING, i could understand (not cleaning up, being disrespectful to guests, etc). but, come on, he's paying these people 2 bucks an hour to be his marketing team as well? gimme a break.
     Reply
    SpyMagician promoted this comment karts was starred karts was unstarred
    Image of SpyMagician SpyMagician
    11/21/09

    @karts: Exactly.
     Reply
    SpyMagician was starred SpyMagician was unstarred
    Image of SpyMagician SpyMagician
    11/21/09

    In reply to New York Restaurant Owners Turn Evil
    Folks, this all makes me really miss Florent, Shopsins and other old school places that had quirky owners who still cared for their patrons and their staff even if they were idiosyncratic.

    That is what is dying in NYC. A-holes like this fill the gap... With B.S.
     Reply
    SpyMagician was starred SpyMagician was unstarred
    Image of Ernest Gonzalez Ernest Gonzalez
    11/21/09

    @SpyMagician: I miss Flo, Rio Mar, Hell, these were places that kept employees for a millenia. Probably cause they treated their staff with respect. This is a dying metropolis.
     Reply
    SpyMagician approved this comment Ernest Gonzalez was starred Ernest Gonzalez was unstarred
    Image of SpyMagician SpyMagician
    11/21/09

    @Ernest Gonzalez: Indeed. But I see the backlash against this asshat as a positive. People are starting to wake up to the fact that if you are going to pay to go out, you should do so at a place that is good and treats everyone well.
     Reply
    SpyMagician was starred SpyMagician was unstarred
    Image of Constantine Constantine
    11/21/09

    In reply to New York Restaurant Owners Turn Evil
    Telling the waitstaff that they're not collecting enough e-mail addresses is like yelling at the cooks for not improving the website's search-engine rank.

    I mean, who doesn't want more e-mail addresses, but presumably you hired a waitstaff for the purpose of taking orders and serving food.
     Reply
    Hiroine Protagonist promoted this comment Constantine was starred Constantine was unstarred
    Image of CODiva CODiva
    11/20/09

    In reply to New York Restaurant Owners Turn Evil
    Clearly there are more effective ways to communicate with your staff, but few could be more entertaining than this --- except if you happen to work for the guy. I say the angriest staff member should post Vadim's favorite email address and let's give him more than his demanded quota of emails people. Know what I mean?
     Reply
    CODiva was starred CODiva was unstarred
    Image of NanArgea NanArgea
    11/20/09

    In reply to New York Restaurant Owners Turn Evil
    Hey - this guy is an ass - I get it.
    But at least he is honest, and doesn't tell you one thing and do another. He wants emails - great. You want a nice boss go and find one. Most are not nice. Most don't care about you.

    This guy is paying the bills (and his employee's bills) so just do whatever the hell he wants.

    You can fight it / accept it / or move on. Pick one of the three...

    That's life folks! This stupid website doesn't change that.
     Reply
    Gabriel Snyder approved this comment NanArgea was starred NanArgea was unstarred
    Image of kung fu lola kung fu lola
    11/20/09

    @NanArgea: That is a disgusting attitude. Serfdom is over. Employees are whole human beings who deserve to be treated with basic respect, not slaves. If he wants to expand his e-mailing list and make his employees more aggressive about acquiring them, there are respectful and effective ways of motivating them to do that. I'm not questioning this pig's business goals, and he indeed has the right to run his business as he sees fit. But to paint this as "just the way it is" is socially irresponsible and lazy.
     Reply
    Hiroine Protagonist promoted this comment kung fu lola was starred kung fu lola was unstarred
    Image of schlesinger10 schlesinger10
    11/20/09

    In reply to New York Restaurant Owners Turn Evil
    would you like my resume as an attachment or in the body in the of the email
     Reply
    Hiroine Protagonist promoted this comment Gabriel Snyder approved this comment schlesinger10 was starred schlesinger10 was unstarred
    Image of iabdai iabdai
    11/20/09

    In reply to New York Restaurant Owners Turn Evil
    Maybe he has a point, and wants them to do what he asks of them, but Vadim, you do not know how to go about it. There is a decent way to speak to people, and you are not versed in this method. How you spoke to your employees is ABUSIVE. And frankly, why would someone want to give their email address to a restaurant anyway! Did you ever think that perhaps they had asked people, and people didn't want to? And, do you really think that if you're having slow nights, it's because you didn't collect enough email addresses...come on!
     Reply
    SpyMagician promoted this comment Gabriel Snyder approved this comment iabdai was starred iabdai was unstarred
    Image of ligmasagbatch ligmasagbatch
    11/20/09

    In reply to New York Restaurant Owners Turn Evil
    Poor 13 year old kid.
     Reply
    SpyMagician promoted this comment ligmasagbatch was starred ligmasagbatch was unstarred
    Image of missdelite missdelite
    11/20/09

    In reply to New York Restaurant Owners Turn Evil
    "Paradou owner Vadim Ponorovsky just called us in a huff because he says that after Gawker and other blogs published an angry e-mail he fired off to employees, his wife, who answers the phones at Paradou, is now receiving anonymous death threats along the lines of "we’re going to kill you" and "we’re going to burn down your restaurant." Vadim says, "This has now hit a point beyond civil discourse," and adds, "You can quote me on this: Any time, any place (and you can put my personal e-mail, vadim@paradounyc.com), these fucks, if they want to send me an e-mail, I will crack every one of their fucking heads and make the streets run with blood. I will not have my family threatened by anyone. I will fucking slaughter all these people and dance on their heads." Beyond civil discourse indeed!"
    [www.neoows.com]
     Reply
    Xylo promoted this comment Edited by missdelite at 11/20/09 3:48 PM missdelite was starred missdelite was unstarred
    Image of lobstr lobstr
    11/20/09

    In reply to New York Restaurant Owners Turn Evil
    All it takes is to send this guy's email address to a Scientology org saying he's interested in some orientation materials, and he'll be deluged with bullshit pamphlets for life. Deluged!
     Reply
    lobstr was starred lobstr was unstarred
    Image of alyssa001 alyssa001
    11/20/09

    In reply to New York Restaurant Owners Turn Evil
    It's funny to me that Gawker only posts the comments that they agree with. I've sent in my comments and for some reason they didn't get added... hmmm... selective censorship? Who the hell cares if this restaurant owner talks like an ass to his staff. Everyday people bitch about their boss and employees. You say the same things but don't write them in an email.
     Reply
    Bottle-Of-Smoke approved this comment alyssa001 was starred alyssa001 was unstarred
    Image of Bottle-Of-Smoke Bottle-Of-Smoke
    11/20/09

    @alyssa001: "Who the hell cares if this restaurant owner talks like an ass to his staff."

    Well, ostensibly I care because I would prefer to spend my money on establishments that treat their employees well, but deep down I care because disgruntled employees are more likely to tinkle in my bouillabaisse.
     Reply
    Bottle-Of-Smoke was starred Bottle-Of-Smoke was unstarred
    Image of Rosewater Rosewater
    11/20/09

    @Bottle-Of-Smoke: exactly. Don't wanna support a Top Jerk like that, and I don't want an angry staff helping me. PLUS, I sure as fuck don't want restaurants asking me for my email.
     Reply
    MissNormaDesmond promoted this comment Rosewater was starred Rosewater was unstarred
    Image of JudyPaceFace JudyPaceFace
    11/20/09

    @alyssa001:
    Girl, just in case you don't know, you are PART OF THE PROBLEM. We are sick and tired of people like YOU and this doucebag restaurant owner.
     Reply
    MissNormaDesmond promoted this comment JudyPaceFace was starred JudyPaceFace was unstarred
    Image of blackdogcomments blackdogcomments
    11/20/09

    In reply to New York Restaurant Owners Turn Evil
    Vadim,

    Email marketing like the kind you're pursuing is kinda (super) dated. And it might make sense for your waiters to *not bother* customers for their personal email addresses while trying to collect a tip.

    If you're so desperate that you're giving away birthday drinks and free brunch, you might as well sell the furniture and shut down anyways.
     Reply
    MissNormaDesmond promoted this comment Gabriel Snyder approved this comment blackdogcomments was starred blackdogcomments was unstarred
    Image of James Pyles James Pyles
    11/20/09

    In reply to New York Restaurant Owners Turn Evil
    Something tells me that attendance at Paradou is about to take a turn for the worst. Someone should fire Vadim.
     Reply
    MissNormaDesmond promoted this comment James Pyles was starred James Pyles was unstarred
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