Brewery Bhavana - Downtown
Restaurant · Fayetteville Street ·
Craft beer, dim sum, books, and flowers for sale.
Craft beer, dim sum, books, and flowers for sale.
"A highly regarded brunch-and-brew destination described as a 'Bhavana nirvana' for its combination of food, floral-market atmosphere, and beverage program." - Eater Staff
"I also associate Bounsanga with Brewery Bhavana, another Raleigh restaurant that earned early critical acclaim but later faced controversy when employees raised concerns and held management accountable for abuse of power; again, Bounsanga was not named in the reporting." - Erin Perkins
"At Brewery Bhavana, the related scandal that surfaced alongside Bida Manda — including allegations of sexual assault and toxic workplace behavior beginning with a racist remark by a manager — led to the collapse of the top-level management at another of Raleigh’s most celebrated restaurants." - Matt Lardie
"Another acclaimed Raleigh establishment singled out by reporting for fostering an atmosphere of misbehavior, abuse of power, and inappropriate sexual conduct, raising concerns about workplace culture." - Amanda Kludt
"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
