Angry ex-hostess at NY hotspot Tao dumps poop into restaurant’s koi pond, causes $3K in damage: suit
She came with a crapload of workplace drama.
A former hostess for the upscale Manhattan restaurant chain TAO got so mad when she was fired, she allegedly dumped feces into an indoor Koi pond at one of the hotspots — causing thousands of dollars in damages, according to a new lawsuit.
Ariel Roman disguised herself in a black wig and glasses, then slipped into the sceney Asian-fusion restaurant in Chelsea while carrying a large bag of poop at around midnight on June 1, according to court papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.
The crappy ex-employee unloaded the smelly haul into the fish pond, then hopped up on a table and started shouting at diners, according to the complaint filed Tuesday.
The wild incident cost owners of the eatery more than $3,000 in damages — and Roman could also face criminal charges, according to Gothamist, which first reported the lawsuit.
Roman first became furious after she was canned from a TAO properties hosting gig at the Moxy in the East Village for violating company policy in Dec. 2022, according to the complaint, which did not elaborate on the alleged offense.
Her firing set off a pattern of harassment in which she threatened to burn down company-owned buildings, assaulted female workers and stalked promoters, the suit alleged.
She was ultimately banned from all TAO properties on June 29, 2023, but returned for the fishy faux pas roughly a year later.
The company is now seeking punitive damages and a permanent injunction to keep the former worker at least 50 yards away from all TAO properties.
Reached by phone, Roman’s mother declined to comment to The Post Wednesday, and Roman didn’t return a request for comment.
TAO didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
