Lady Gaga’s dad seeks donations to pay furloughed restaurant staff
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His daughter may be a globally famous singer with a net worth of millions — but that doesn’t help him pay his employees.
Joe Germanotta, the father of Lady Gaga, said Friday that his New York City restaurant would be closed for the next month amid the coronavirus outbreak — and he’s trying to raise money to pay his furloughed staff.
“I’m doing the best I can but we had to close Joanne for the month,» Germanotta tweeted. «Our staff needs some help financial. Any help for our employees will be appreciated.”
He linked the post to a crowdsourcing page asking for donations for the staff as the restaurant «has had to lay off almost 30 employees until we are able to reopen our doors,» the page said.
Lady Gaga’s dad says coronavirus hurting his NYC restaurant, vows to support impacted employees
Germanotta owns Joanne Trattoria, an Italian restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, which has seen a 70 percent decrease in business since Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered all bars and restaurants to close except for takeout, Germanotta told Fox Business last week.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo last Sunday issued a statewide order, urging residents to stay home except for work and to buy essentials.
«These kids have been with me for eight years … they’re kind of like my children at this point,» Germanotta told Fox Business. «I intend to keep them on some type of stipend to keep them going.»
Germanotta also owns Art Bird & Whiskey Bar, which the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is moving to evict from Grand Central Terminal, accusing Germanotta of refusing to pay rent.
He said his business has been hurt by subpar health conditions inside the terminal.
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«The bathrooms are truly less than what you’d expect in a food concourse,” he told Fox Business. “It’s continually dirty. They don’t clean up. There are some pest control problems down there.»
Fox Business’ Angelica Stabile contributed to this report.
