They’re determined to catch the rat that tried to kill their rodent.
Service workers union Unite Here Local 25 wants a Manhattan court to help it uncover who slashed their inflatable rat, Scabby, during a planned protest outside the Oct. 27 grand re-opening of Greenwich Village hotspot Babbo.
The union wants video footage from inside and outside the Waverly Place eatery; any “communications” about Scabby from Babbo’s owners, including celebrity restaurateur Stephen Starr’s Starr Restaurant Organization; and a list of workers who were there at the time along with their personnel records, court papers showed.
The owners “should be ordered to provide information that will allow Local 25 to identify the suspect,” the union said in its Nov. 21 Manhattan Supreme Court filing.
The union also wants customer information “such as credit card receipts and reservation records,” it said.
Starr bought Babbo — the legendary Italian spot which closed after founder Mario Batali was accused of sexual misconduct and exited the business — in January, and was on hand for its re-opening when someone emerged from the restaurant and allegedly attacked Scabby.
The “suspect was roughly six-feet tall, with crew-cut blond or similarly colored hair, and appeared to be white,” according to court papers. “He was dressed similarly to Babbo’s waiters, wearing a navy or black suit with a white button-down shirt.”
A union rep was setting up Scabby when someone claiming to work for Starr told him to take down the inflatable rat and warned he was about to call cops.
Minutes later, the rep turned away and heard “the sound of air rushing out of Scabby,” and saw the “suspect” with a small knife, the union alleged.
“Local 25 filed this action to determine who is responsible for attacking Scabby with a knife,” said union spokesman Benjy Cannon, who said the group intends to file a lawsuit against the slasher once they’re identified.
“When we find out, we will make sure they are held responsible legally for the damage done to Scabby. No one should disrupt a peaceful protest with violence like that.”
Starr Restaurant Group did not immediately responded to a request seeking comment.
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