Union Square Ramen Shop Could Close After Settling Claim

UNION SQUARE, NY — The ramen shop Ichiba Ramen could close its doors after settling a discrimination claim with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Ichiba Ramen, located at 125 University Pl., will pay a small settlement to resolve a discrimination claim with the federal government this week after a prospective employee at the restaurant reported that he wasn't offered a job because he wasn't Korean or Japanese. Eater first reported news of the settlement this week.

The DOJ said in a statement that the job applicant submitted a report in July which said that a chef at the restaurant did not offer him a job because of his national origin. The DOJ did not say what the applicant's race or national origin was. Federal investigators reviewed the claim and concluded that the restaurant had violated a federal anti-discrimination provision. The department also said that prior chefs had not implemented similar "limitations" when hiring servers.

On Tuesday, the Justice Department announced a settlement with the restaurant that required the ramen shop to pay $2,000 to the federal government and $1,760 to the applicant in question. The restaurant must also provide trainings for its employees, among other terms.

The settlement agreement also indicated that the restaurant could close entirely in the wake of the lawsuit: "Respondent has represented to the [Department of Justice] that it will cease doing business at the location 125 University Place, New York, NY, on February 28, 2018."

The restaurant did not immediately respond to an email inquiry asking whether it would permanently close this month. An attorney for Ichiba Ramen said it was "up in the air" whether the restaurant would close. He did not say whether the possible closure was directly related to the settlement.

The attorney added that the settlement was "satisfactory to all parties."

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