Business & Tech
President Trump, DC Celebrity Chef Settle Washington Hotel Dispute
The Trump Organization sued Chef Jose Andres after he pulled his restaurant out of $200M hotel in Washington; the 2 have settled lawuits.
WASHINGTON, DC — Celebrity Chef Jose Andres and the business group founded by President Donald Trump announced Friday that they've resolved a legal dispute over the decision by Andres to pull his restaurant out of a luxury hotel a few blocks from the White House. Neither part disclosed the terms of the settlement.
The dispute centered on the Trump International Hotel, which opened last year in the Old Post Office building on Pennsylvania Avenue. Andres and his company, ThinkFoodGroup, cancelled plans in 2015 to open a restaurant in the $200 million luxury hotel after the chef objected to remarks Trump made about Mexicans when he launched his presidential campaign.
Trump sued Andres and ThinkFoodGroup for $10 million for backing out of their deal, and Andres countersued. But on Friday, the celebrity chef and the Trump Organization said they had reached an amicable legal settlement, radio station WTOP reported. The affair must still be approved by a judge.
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After Andres dropped out of the high-profile project, the signature restaurant switched from a planned mix of Spanish and Japanese fare to become BLT Prime by David Burke, a glitzy steakhouse run by the New York chef who first cooked for Trump nearly three decades ago for a Fourth of July party on the real estate mogul’s yacht, says The Washington Post.
The two sides also issued a joint statement, saying they had buried the hatchet and are friends again, WTOP reported.
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“I am glad that we are able to put this matter behind us and move forward as friends," the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., said in the statement. "Our entire team has great respect for the accomplishments of both José and TFG."
"I am pleased that we were able to resolve our differences and move forward cooperatively, as friends," Andres said. "I have great respect for the Trump Organization’s commitment to excellence in redeveloping the Old Post Office."
To see the statement, click here.
The Trump Organization is still embroiled in a legal dispute with another celebrity chef, Geoffrey Zacharian, who also pulled out of the Trump hotel, WTOP reported.
Image: President Trump, Chef Jose Andres (Patch archive)
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