How a Toxic Work Culture Enabled Sexual Misconduct at Bida Manda in Raleigh | Eater Carolinas
"Framed as an ambitious mashup — brewery, restaurant, florist, and bookstore in one vast, airy space — Brewery Bhavana was widely praised for its eclectic, collaborative energy and was co-founded with Vanvisa Nolintha and brewer Patrick Woodson; it carried over the Nolinthas’ familial, vulnerability-driven workplace ethos. I found that employees describe the same pattern of enforced intimacy, alcohol-fueled bonding, and invasive retreats at Bhavana, which they say blurred boundaries and enabled predatory behavior: multiple women have alleged sexual assault or coercion by longtime beverage director Jordan Hester and by his brother Casey, and Hester was fired and later pleaded guilty to four felony peeping charges, receiving probation, intermittent jail time, and a 30-year sex-offender registration requirement. In response to the allegations the founding management stepped down or was removed, the group announced plans for new HR and mandatory training, briefly restarted limited service to meet PPP deadlines, and has since faced protests and widespread employee mistrust." - Matt Lardie
