Palo Alto Spanish Restaurant Macarena Hit With Lawsuit Before It’s Even Open | Eater SF

"A Spanish restaurant group that operates locations in the Bay Area, Southern California, and Spain is the plaintiff in a December 5, 2024 lawsuit alleging that two former employees misappropriated proprietary materials. The complaint states that on his last day of employment one employee downloaded 17,000 files from a confidential, shared Google Drive containing "recipes, food providers, financial and budgetary information, marketing strategies, leasing agreements, and the restaurant’s \"events price bible,\" which includes \"strategy for hosting events, catering, and pricing details, among others,\""; the other employee is accused of copying and deleting marketing materials from the Drive and from Canva, plus a customer marketing list. The group says it hired a forensic analyst after the employees resigned in May 2024 (they had told the company they were returning to Spain) and that the analyst uncovered the downloaded files and missing marketing assets; the lawsuit also alleges the employees used the information to pursue a deal to sell food at San Jose Sharks games. The defendants had worked for the group from 2019–2024 (one rose from general manager at the Palo Alto location to director of operations and U.S. COO; the other became director of marketing). The plaintiff declined to comment to Eater SF. The new Spanish restaurant planned for Palo Alto is set to open in February (2025); a court date has not been set. The reporting was updated January 6, 2025 to include a statement from the new restaurant." - Dianne de Guzman