East Village Restaurant Closes After Wage Theft Lawsuits

EAST VILLAGE, NY — An Indian restaurant in the East Village that was rocked by two wage theft lawsuits is closed for good.

Babu Ji, which said it was going on a temporary hiatus in March, appears to be permanently closed now that a different restaurant is preparing to move into the space, located at 174 Avenue B. As first reported by EV Grieve, restauranteur Sushil Malhotra and chef Navjot Arora are looking to open a different Indian restaurant in the space previously occupied by Babu Ji. Malhotra and Arora say their planned restaurant will be named Old Monk.

Babu Ji, which opened in the East Village in June 2015, was a popular and lively local restaurant until multiple employees filed two separate wage theft and overtime lawsuits against the eatery's owners, Jessi and Jennifer Singh. The couple settled the first lawsuit in September 2016 for $95,000, just as another group of employees filed another suit against them. This second suit also accused the Singhs of pocketing tips and failing to pay overtime, and was later amended to accuse Jessi Sing of verbally threatening one of the plaintiffs and his family.

In March, Babu Ji abruptly closed its doors and said it was "taking a break." Patch was unable to reach anyone at Babu Ji for comment.

According to documents filed with Community Board 3, which includes the East Village, Old Monk will also Indian food. The restaurant is seeking a liquor license. (For more news from the East Village and the rest of New York City, subscribe to Patch news alerts here.)

Lead image via Google Maps.