How a Toxic Work Culture Enabled Sexual Misconduct at Bida Manda in Raleigh | Eater Carolinas

"Operating as a reinterpretation of Laotian home cooking, Bida Manda was opened by siblings Vansana (“Van”) and Vanvisa Nolintha to honor their parents (the name means mother and father in Sanskrit), with the family’s wedding photo greeting diners. I saw it celebrated for warm, family-style hospitality and for fostering an intimate “we’re like family” work culture — but that culture included enforced “radical vulnerability” through staff retreats (including Buddhist-ceremony tying, public critique exercises, and mandated sharing of traumatic experiences) and boozy post-shift socializing that employees say normalized sexualization and blurred professional boundaries. Multiple current and former staff allege that environment enabled serious misconduct, from a reported incident in which a Black employee was called a “slave” by a manager to numerous allegations of unwanted sexual advances, grooming, and assault allegedly involving Van and members of management, and many employees describe a lack of effective HR channels, silencing of complaints, and managerial failures to act. Leadership later apologized, removed Van from operations and saw senior managers resign or be fired, promised new HR and anti-harassment measures, briefly reopened for PPP-related takeout, and has faced staff protests and deep distrust from former employees." - Matt Lardie