Waiter’s bombshell claim New York’s hottest restaurant is a den of sexual depravity: Cocaine in spray bottles and ‘anything goes’

The Polo Bar is considered one of New York’s most coveted dining destinations.

Celebrities and the Big Apple’s elite sip on $67 martinis – served on a silver platter with oysters and caviar – in dimly lit booths.

If you want a reservation, forget about it. Even if you are lucky enough to snatch a spot on the waiting list, that wait might be months long.

But behind the velvet ropes, the Ralph Lauren-owned restaurant has been rocked by explosive allegations of debauchery, drug use and sexual harassment from one of its former servers.

In a lawsuit filed in Manhattan on Tuesday, former employee Frank Nobiletti claims the glitzy Midtown institution harbored a dark and disturbing workplace culture – accusations Polo Bar bosses furiously deny. 

Nobiletti alleges he was relentlessly harassed, groped by managers and ultimately fired in 2024 for blowing the whistle on what he describes as a chaotic and permissive environment.  

Over seven years, he claims colleagues openly snorted and sold cocaine on the job, drank to the point of intoxication – often charging their drinks to unsuspecting VIPs – and one worker even fraudulently inflated tips on checks they deemed too low.

‘The Polo Bar, which is well-known for its ‘buzzy’ and ‘cozy’ atmosphere, is the very definition of New York exclusive,’ reads the lawsuit, obtained by the Daily Mail.

‘While the restaurant and its hard-working staff do everything they can to ensure that their guests have a first-class experience, defendants completely failed to guarantee that their employees had a safe and legal work environment.

‘All of the external glitz and fame did not save defendants’ employees from a toxic culture that included widespread sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rampant drug use and alcohol consumption at work,’ the complaint reads.

In a statement to the Daily Mail, a spokesperson for Polo Bar rejected Nobiletti’s accusations in their entirety, insisting they are completely unfounded. They stated he was fired because of own misconduct.

‘We have high standards for how employees conduct themselves and no tolerance for misconduct, so we take swift action when these standards are not met. This includes Mr. Nobiletti’s termination that was based on clear evidence of his misconduct,’ Polo Bar’s spokesperson stated. 

‘Because we take all employee-related concerns seriously, we thoroughly investigated Mr. Nobiletti’s allegations and determined they have no merit.’

A source also told the Daily Mail that Nobiletti and his attorneys were sent a letter detailing the alleged misconduct that led to his firing last year.

The source further denied Nobiletti’s claims that he was let go in retaliation for reporting the allegations outlined in the lawsuit – and instead characterized him as a disgruntled former employee seeking revenge for his termination.

Nobiletti, 42, who says he has more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, was hired by Polo Bar in 2017 to work as both a server and a bartender, and quickly rose through the ranks to become one of the restaurant’s most trusted employees, according to the suit.

Frequently, he would spend his shifts serving guests in Polo Bar’s exclusive Private Dining Room (PDR), waiting on the restaurant’s most famous clientele, which, in the past, has included the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian, the Obamas and the Clintons.

Nobiletti claims that soon after joining the Polo Bar’s ranks, he spotted the early warning signs of a toxic workplace culture.

Some of the allegations of rampant misconduct made in the lawsuit date back to the Polo Bar’s 2015 opening.

Among the claims is that staff and management would consume cocaine during service, typically in the restaurant’s wine room.

Nobiletti further alleged that some employees mixed cocaine with water in a spray bottle so they could ‘ingest’ the drug undetected during their shifts.

According to the lawsuit, one server began dealing cocaine on the premises in 2015. Some of the restaurant’s managers were allegedly aware, but did nothing to stop him, allowing the activity to continue for years, the lawsuit states.

‘[M]ultiple other Polo Bar staff members, including at least one manager, regularly sold or gave restaurant employees illegal drugs in the restaurant during their shifts,’ the suit further alleges.

By the time Nobiletti joined Polo Bar in 2017, he claims the culture of drinking and using drugs during shifts was already commonplace.

Several of his managers not only tolerated the behavior but actively joined in, with some staff allegedly drinking so heavily they couldn’t finish their shifts, according to Nobiletti.

The drinking culture often extended to consuming alcohol that was already paid for by patrons, including VIP guests who’d reserved the PDR.

‘[T]hroughout Nobiletti’s employment, it was commonplace for Polo Bar employees to charge customers for drinks that the employees consumed themselves or unopened bottles of alcohol that they took home,’ the lawsuit claims.

The PDR came with a $7,000 minimum spend – a threshold rarely met, Nobiletti says, prompting staff to quietly add drinks to the bill, knowing the final charge wouldn’t change.

‘[B]ecause those guests failed to satisfy the guaranteed minimum, they paid a set amount whether the employees charged drinks to the event. Moreover, customers rarely checked their bills or asked questions,’ reads the suit.

Nobiletti further alleged that staff would sometimes help themselves to glasses of wine from bottles already paid for by PDR guests.

One staffer would also allegedly ‘fraudulently’ alter customers’ tips ‘if he felt the tip was inadequate,’ Nobiletti claimed, adding the server’s behavior was known but went unpunished for several years.

But it wasn’t just the hard-partying culture and loose morals that Nobiletti claims he was forced to contend with.

On numerous occasions, he alleges he was sexually harassed and groped by management, and openly mocked for being bisexual.

In the suit, Nobiletti claims one manager ‘engaged in countless acts of inappropriate conduct,’ including repeated instances of alleged sexual misconduct.

The accused manager is named in the lawsuit, but the Daily Mail is withholding their identity, referring to them under the pseudonym Manager 1.

‘[I]n 2015, [Manager 1] sexually assaulted a server by grabbing his penis. The server complained about the incident to management,’ the lawsuit alleges.

‘[Manager 1] assaulted another Polo Bar employee in 2015 or 2016. [Manager 1] and a server were at a bar off-premises. On information and belief, when [the server] went to the restroom, [Manager 1] followed him inside and forcibly kissed and touched [the server] without his consent.’

Nobiletti claims that during his employment, Manager 1 would frequently touch male servers without their consent, under the pretense of adjusting their uniform.

‘He also frequently gave male employees unrequested back massages without consent or warning,’ reads the suit. ‘[Manager 1] targeted several male employees with this type of behavior, including Nobiletti,’ along with four others identified only by their initials.

Nobiletti claims Manager 1 hired the young men listed in the hope of having ‘a sexual relationship with them.’

‘[Manager 1] targeted them for sex after they began working for defendants,’ the suit alleges.

‘[Manager 1] made clear to those male employees who had a sexual relationship with him that they would receive preferential treatment and, in many instances, plaintiff learned that they did. In contrast, on at least one occasion, when an employee rejected [Manager 1’s] advances, [Manager 1] punished him.’

Despite his alleged transgressions, Manager 1 was repeatedly promoted.

In 2019, Nobiletti says he confided in Manager 1 about a severe pain in his pelvic region, which he feared could be a sexually transmitted infection (STI) contracted during a recent encounter with men at a Turkish bathhouse. 

According to the lawsuit, the two discussed his symptoms after Manager 1 noticed him in discomfort at work and pulled him aside. Manager 1 reportedly reassured Nobiletti that it was unlikely to be an STI.

The Polo Bar closed in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But when Nobiletti returned in late 2021 after private dining resumed, he claims it became clear that Manager 1 had shared details of the incident with other staff, effectively outing him as bisexual.

The disclosure, he alleges, triggered a shift in how he was treated by coworkers and managers – including public taunts about his sexuality and repeated lewd comments.

In addition to the goading, Nobiletti alleges that Manager 1 and a second member of senior management (pseudonym: Manager 2) also sexually assaulted him.

In one alleged incident in 2022, Nobiletti claims he went for drinks with Manager 2 to discuss a promotion.

During the meeting, Nobiletti claims Manager 2 began discussing his sexuality and then ‘proceeded to touch [him] on his inner thigh, close to his penis.’

After Nobiletti rejected his advances, Manager 2 allegedly became distant, and the promotion never materialized.

Then, in the fall of 2023, Nobiletti claims he was sexually assaulted by Manager 1 while socializing outside of work.

During a conversation about being ‘outed’ as bisexual, Manager 1 is alleged to have said, ‘Aren’t you glad you can be out about your sexuality now?’ and then hugged Nobiletti.

‘After Nobiletti turned around, Manager 1 tapped Nobiletti’s buttocks and then grabbed it,’ the suit reads.

‘[Manager 1’s] grab was forceful enough that Nobiletti nearly lost his balance. [Manager 1’s] touching of Nobiletti was unwanted, unwarranted, and without consent.’

The lawsuit also alleges that female staff were routinely subjected to sexist behavior, including being ranked on their appearance in a so-called ‘Rating Game’ devised by male servers – who also allegedly ranked unsuspecting female guests.

One longtime employee is accused in the lawsuit of sharing nude photos of women he dated – including a colleague – with other staff, while managers allegedly ignored repeated complaints about inappropriate behavior towards female employees.

According to the complaint, Nobiletti – unable to tolerate the environment any longer – reported the misconduct in the fall of 2023, both to the Polo Bar’s Human Resources department and through his attorney.

He detailed what he described as years of sexual harassment, two separate assaults by managers, and a toxic workplace culture marked by retaliation and favoritism.

However, he claims HR took no action. Around the same time, a manager’s assistant allegedly made a series of threats against him, warning him that if he filed a formal complaint, he’d be fired – and that management would justify it by pointing to his on-the-job drinking.

In February 2024, Nobiletti was terminated for allegedly consuming alcohol during service, a move he claims was retaliatory and inconsistent with the restaurant’s long-standing tolerance of the same behavior from other staff.

In September, he allegedly received a cease-and-desist letter from his former employer, accusing him of sending threatening messages to current staff and loitering outside the restaurant to intimidate them.

Nobiletti called the claims false or grossly exaggerated and the cease-and-desist an attempt to intimidate him into silence.

Nobiletti is seeking unspecified damages for emotional distress, humiliation, pain and suffering, and reputational harm. He has requested a trial by jury.

When contacted, Nobiletti’s attorneys declined to comment, citing the ongoing litigation.