Famous Food

A couple claiming a Maggiano's seated all its customers of color in the back ... is getting an apology, but the restaurant chain also insists it wasn't segregating patrons.

Here's the backstory -- a Black woman named Dot claimed on Instagram she and her husband had reservations last weekend at the Maggiano's in Orlando, and when they showed up ... they were ushered all the way to the back of the joint.

That's when she says she noticed a "stark contrast from the patrons in the front of the restaurant, versus where we were being seated." Dot added ... "Guys….I s**t you not…this restaurant was segregated!!!!!!!!! In 2021!!!!!! Our minds were BLOWN!!!!!!"

Dot claims this pattern of seating people continued throughout their visit, and she posted a couple photos with her hubby to make her point. She also speculated that a nearby Trump rally that day may have factored into the restaurant's motivations.

While Maggiano's insists the seating situation had nothing to do with race, the restaurant chain still apologized, saying ... "We understand that two valued Guests felt unwelcome when they dined at our Maggiano’s restaurant in Orlando on Sunday, February 28, and for that we sincerely apologize."

As for an explanation, Maggiano's says it investigated the incident, and says the reason for the perceived segregation is because "a single large party of 30 African-American guests" requested to be seated together.

The restaurant says when Dot and her husband arrived, "our system suggested a table that was still occupied by Guests, which prompted the reassignment of their new table" ... which happened to be in the back.

However, Maggiano's acknowledges the table reassignment didn't make the couple feel welcome. It adds that it's going to work to ensure future seating arrangements "are not just computer generated but have a human touch."

Dot later revealed Maggiano's sent her a $200 gift card and the chain's President Steve Provost reached out to her.

"Yeah, it's over guys!!!"

Giannis Antetokounmpo had an epic reaction to Team LeBron's stacked lineup for the All-Star Game ... declaring an early victory while chowing down on some delicious lemon pepper wings!!

LeBron James' starting 5 is about as dominant as you can get -- with the Lakers superstar adding the Greek Freak, Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic to his team Thursday night.

The Milwaukee Bucks star wasn't able to watch the ASG draft since he was on the court against the Grizzlies at the time ... but he was brought up to speed in a postgame interview after the close win over Memphis.

"That's the starting 5?!," Giannis asked, surprised. "Yeah, it's over guys!"

"Me, Lebron, Luka, Jokic and Steph?! Man, that's a good starting 5. That's a good starting 5!"

Side note -- this is all happening while Giannis is eating some of the most beautiful chicken wings you'll ever see. Why?? 'Cause he's in Memphis and that's what you do.

Back to the All-Star draft -- Giannis joked about being the first player picked out of the pool for the game ... asking if he gets any kind of special treatment.

"Do I get a hat? Do I get something? Do I gotta wear the suit now being number one overall?" Antetokounmpo joked ... before getting real for a sec.

"It's a compliment. I'ma just go there, have fun, try to represent the city the right way. Try to get a win for team Lebron and just have fun."

This marks the first time Giannis isn't a captain during the "draft-era" of the All-Star Game ... with Kevin Durant taking over duties in 2021.

KD's lineup is pretty scary, too -- with Bradley Beal, Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and Jayson Tatum.

Celebs might be extra vigilant the next time they go out to eat in Bev Hills ... a woman was shot in the leg outside a super popular eatery in a brazen, daylight armed robbery.

The shooting went down Thursday afternoon outside Il Pastaio restaurant. We're told the shooter and 2 accomplices were after a $500,000 Richard Mille watch a man was wearing, and a woman was struck in the leg by gunfire.

An eyewitness told us the shooter fired off 3 or 4 rounds. The woman who was hit was having lunch near the man who was wearing the watch. The shooter made off with the timepiece -- and diners scrambled for safety -- as evidenced in the photos we obtained.

As far as we can tell no one else was shot, although diners were frantically checking themselves for bullet wounds.

Rapper DaniLeigh, who has been dating DaBaby, had just parked in front of the restaurant when the gunfire erupted.

As you can see ... the celeb hot spot is crawling with cops, and there's a ton of police tape wrapped around the restaurant's outdoor seating area, where a huge crowd of curious onlookers is gathering.

Celebrity photographer Tyler Shields was on the scene when gunfire erupted ... he said he herded a large group of people into a nearby parking garage when the shots rang out. Thankfully, he says everyone around him was OK ... and shared a message of love.

The Italian restaurant is extremely popular among famous folks ... we've seen lots of celebs dining there over the years, and it's where we get a bunch of them on camera.

Tekashi 6ix9ine has been on the rollercoaster of a lifetime, but his latest ups and downs are all about yo-yo'ing big time on his weight ... and we found out why.

6ix9ine got into the nitty-gritty of his recent weight gain/loss Wednesday on 'TMZ Live' -- where he dished on how exactly he ended up a full 70 pounds heavier within a few months of getting out of prison.

Ya might've heard ... Tekashi says he hit a whopping 204 lbs. during home confinement last year -- he was about 130 lbs. when he left the pen -- but miraculously dropped the poundage in record time ... something he alluded to recently on social media.

He explains he was able to get himself back down to around 140 lbs., adding this in celebration ... "In the chaos of everything that is going on in your life, tell yourself 'I control what happens in my life' do NOT let anyone tell you that things you want it’s not possible, that’s FALSE!"

So many questions here, which Harvey and Charles dug into with Tekashi -- such as, what the hell was he eating to gain so much weight -- and perhaps just as important, how'd he lose it all so quickly???

Tekashi's got the answers ... and his solution might be a bit more primitive than any fad diet out right now. Turns out, the answer to tons of Chinese food is ... sweat and misery.

Celebrities who own businesses in Texas aren't ditching mask mandates and COVID safety protocols just because Gov. Greg Abbott says it's now cool to do so ... but there's a notable outlier.

Gov. Abbott lifted Texas' statewide mask mandate Tuesday and allowed businesses to go back to full capacity, so we contacted joints with celeb connections to see if they were following suit ... and most told us they're NOT on the same page as the Guv.

Gwyneth Paltrow's folks at Blo Blow Dry Bar tell us there are still concerns about the ongoing pandemic and the biz will continue insisting clients wear masks and follow all other safety measures that were already in place.

A bunch of restaurants -- Pat Green's The Rustic, Guy Fieri's Guy's Taco Joint and Pudge Rodriguez's Pudge's Pizza -- tell us they will continue to follow all COVID protocols.

Meanwhile, at the state's Rock & Brews locations, owned by KISS, customers will have the option to mask up ... and there will no longer be capacity limits.

Over at Buddy Valastro's bakeries, we're told there's been no final decision on going with or against Gov. Abbott ... so masks are still required in the meantime.

Snoop Dogg is introducing his grandson to the culture -- the classic car culture -- while also staking his claim as the coolest grandpa on earth!!!

The Doggfather and his grandkid, Zion, hit up Mel's Drive-in on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood for some serious family bonding ... checking out the whips and jamming to Snoop's classic, "My Heat Goes Boom."

Little Zion here is the spawn of Snoop's oldest son, Corde Broadus, and he's already getting schooled in all things West Coast ... complete with low riders and g-funk music. Zion's Uncle Cordell, aka Snoop's 2nd born, was also there for the Sunday meet-up.

Travis Scott's helping 50,000 folks in Houston weather the winter storm they've been dealing with ... by providing them all a hot meal.

The rapper and his Cactus Jack Foundation have teamed up with Mayor Sylvester Turner to launch an emergency food program Friday that will feed 50k residents who've been impacted by Texas' historic freeze.

Travis' foundation's working with local agencies and restaurant owners to get the hot meals to those still recovering from the frigid temperatures and days without water or power ... with the most vulnerable Houstonians at the front of the line.

The deliveries have been ongoing all over the city on Friday, and include truckloads of bottled water.

Officials in Atlanta have confirmed the fire that gutted Shaq's iconic Krispy Kreme was caused by an arsonist ... and now, they say they're on the hunt for the suspect.

The famous donut shop -- which is located on Ponce de Leon Ave. and has ties to Martin Luther King Jr. -- was nearly burnt to the ground shortly after midnight on Feb. 10.

Officials say 2 employees who were in the store were able to escape the fire safely ... but the place took SERIOUS damage from the flames.

Now, officials say they believe the blaze was NOT caused by an accident ... but rather, by a person who wanted to see it burn.

Officials say they have surveillance video of the suspect ... and revealed images of the person from the video early Friday morning. Officials added there's now a $10,000 reward for help in identifying the suspect.

"The fire that occurred at @krispykreme Doughnuts (295 Ponce de Leon) on February 10th, 2021 has been determined to be a result of ARSON," officials said. "We are seeking the public’s help in identifying & locating the suspect in these pictures."

Officials say call 1-800-282-5804 if you have any information.

The donut shop, meanwhile, is one of the most famous in the country ... it was bought by Shaq back in 2016 and gained fame in 1968 for donating boxes of treats to mourners who flocked to Atlanta to grieve the death of MLK Jr.

Kim Kardashian made sure she stood out on her first night out as a single lady ... in a skintight dress ... and nothing on her ring finger.

Kim -- along with her sister, Kourtney, gal pals La La Anthony and Stephanie Shepherd and Jonathan Cheban for good measure -- hit up Matsuhisa in Bev Hills Tuesday night ... and Kanye West's ex looked ready to mingle.

Though she wasn't wearing her wedding ring, Kim was blinged up just a bit to accessorize with a super cool neon green dress ... and she looked pretty happy with her friends.

Of course, Kim's outing comes just days after we broke the story ... she filed to divorce her famous husband of nearly 7 years after several turbulent months that started right around the time he announced his run for president.

As we told you ... everything seems to be amicable -- Kim's asking for joint legal and physical custody of the couple's 4 kids, there's a prenup neither side is contesting, and Kim and Kanye are committed to co-parenting.

Jon Hamm, Audrey Hepburn, Jimmy Fallon and Al Roker are inviting New Yorkers to dine out in the pandemic ... and you can be sure they're not carrying the virus.

Celebrity wax figures from Madame Tussauds in New York City are creating a new dining experience at the legendary Peter Luger Steak House ... you can toast with Jon at the bar, hang out with Audrey and share a much-needed laugh with Jimmy.

Oh, and if folks get lost inside the sprawling restaurant -- it's been a while since many have gone out to eat -- Al's waiting to direct them to the 2nd floor.

Restaurants in the Big Apple just got the green light to increase occupancy to 35 percent starting Friday, thanks to Governor Andrew Cuomo, so Peter Luger is bringing out the big guns and having these celeb wax figures fill empty seats to maintain social distancing measures.

John Harbaugh was feelin' saucy on Tuesday night -- so he broke out his wallet and paid for dinner for EVERYONE dining at Jimmy's Seafood Restaurant in Baltimore.

The Ravens head coach and his wife Ingrid hit up the famous seafood spot for a charity event to benefit the Famous Fund, which helps local businesses hit hard by the pandemic. The Famous Fund has already raised more than 450k!

People instantly recognized the 2019 NFL Coach of the Year -- and he couldn't have been nicer about it ... taking pics and chatting up fans.

Afterward, Harbaugh went to restaurant management and paid for dinner for EVERYONE who was dining at the spot that evening.

The final bill reportedly broke the $2,000 mark!

People in the restaurant were stoked -- including patron Kreghan Rebstock who tweeted about the situation!

"John Harbaugh was just sitting across from my friends and I at @JimmysSeafood we didn’t wanna bug him, he ended up secretly picking up our tab and we wanted to thank him, hopefully he see this! @Ravens (also fangirling hard)."

Harbaugh later told ESPN ... his wife should get the credit!

"It was 100% Ingrid's idea," Harbaugh said ... while praising the restaurant owner.

"[Restaurant owner] John Minadakis is the hero for the fund he's doing for local businesses hit by the pandemic."

We know what you're thinking ... how much money is Harbaugh making these days?

Lisa Vanderpump's struggled, like all restaurant owners, due to the pandemic, and now she has another headache ... a lawsuit for unpaid produce.

As you know, Lisa and Ken Todd own and operate PUMP and Villa Blanca -- 2 L.A. hotspots ... pre-COVID, of course. Both joints shut down last year during quarantine, but used to get fruit and veggie shipments from a company called West Central Produce.

Now, West Central Produce is suing the restaurants, not Lisa, for past deliveries. In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, WCP says it got its last payment from Villa Blanca in March 2020 for $8,890.10 ... while PUMP forked over $9,144.70. That's a ton o' veggies!

But, that's right around the time quarantine started, forcing restaurants to close for several months -- and WCP claims the money also stopped coming in from Vanderpump's restaurants.

All told, the company claims it's owed just under $100k from both eateries. It's suing for that amount, plus some interest.

What's interesting is Lisa and Ken announced last summer that Villa Blanca was shutting down for good. Like so many restaurants, the pandemic closures were just too much to overcome -- but the good news is Lisa says PUMP will eventually reopen.

Ken tells us, while he wasn't aware of the lawsuit, if he owes money to anyone, he'll make sure his accountants get WCP paid. He says COVID has been a tough time for everyone in the restaurant biz. PUMP has been closed since the pandemic started.

Talk about fast food ... how about a NASCAR driver leaving the Daytona 500 in the middle of a race to go on a McDonald's run!?!

That's exactly what Ross Chastain did on Sunday when a rainstorm delayed The Great American Race for more than 5 hours ... right after the 15th lap!

It was clear the weather wasn't going to let up any time soon, so Chastain hopped out of his racing car -- and into his personal car -- so he could speed over to a nearby Mickey D's to grab some food for himself and his crew.

Oh, he was still wearing his green racing suit when he pulled up to the drive-thru ... and the woman working the window couldn't believe it!

"AAAAAHHHH you just came from the racetrack?!" the woman asked.

"Yeah, we're racing, whenever it stops raining!!" Chastain replied.

The staffer couldn't believe her eyes ... saying, "This is my first time meeting a race car driver!" She even called over her co-workers to take a look!

RC explained he drives the #42 McDonald's car ... so it was only right he hooked up his crew with a massive order -- 6 of "everything" for his team and a hot fudge sundae for himself!!

When the race finally resumed, Ross finished in 7th place.

A Papa John's employee says he got canned after refusing to make pizza with no running water in the building so he could be sanitary ... and now, it sounds like he's lawyering up.

A TikTok user who goes by @mommarhodey posted a video she says her brother sent her from a Papa John's location in Colorado Springs, where he films his working conditions in below freezing temps ... which he shows left their pipes frozen, and no water to use at all.

The guy says he decided he didn't wanna keep baking pies in that type of environment, as he felt it was gross ... Y'know, because he wasn't able to wash his hands. So, he left his shift early -- but before doing so he wanted to set the record straight on what he was dealing with.

The employee shows a water heater in the corner of the room, and a tiny portable heater next to it that he says his manager set up in hopes of getting the thing working again ... and water running in their restaurant. He also tries turning on faucets all around him, to no avail.

His sister's the one sounding the alarm about this on his behalf -- she posted some follow-up videos explaining what happened next ... and would you believe it, she claims her bro was fired over it. As you can imagine, she's super pissed ... calling it a "wrongful termination."

She says she called the local public health department there, who apparently told her the Papa John's in question was shut down until they could get running water back. However, that doesn't jibe with what sis here says she's heard from the Papa John's staff.

She claims they've been continuing to work, despite the stop-order from officials. MommaRhodey says she's alerted the BBB, and Papa John's corporate office.

We reached out to the Papa John's location in question ... they had no comment. No word from their corporate office either at this point.

Safety first!

LeBron James and his Lakers teammate, Anthony Davis, had a double date in L.A. on Thursday -- hitting the fancy Giorgio Baldi restaurant, while wearing their COVID masks!

The NBA superstars had the night off from the court -- so, they took their wives to dinner now that L.A. has allowed restaurants to re-open for outdoor dining.

On the way out around midnight, photogs asked both guys about everything from the Mark Cuban national anthem controversy to injury issues -- but mum was the word.

Honestly, it's just nice to see people going out to dinner again!

The Lakers -- 2nd in the Western Conference -- will take on the visiting Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center Friday night.

Aunt Jemima's name and face are now scrubbed from the breakfast products she's fronted for more than a century -- a move in the right direction, but far from enough to do justice to the women who served as her model ... so say their descendants.

Lillian Richard and Anna Short Harrington both served as models for Aunt Jemima at different points in the early 20th century, well before the most recent version with the woman in pearls.

Vera Richard Harris -- Lillian's great-niece -- tells us she wants to see her relative's name (plus the names of all the other models who portrayed Jemima) inscribed on the new Pearl Milling Company packaging, to honor their contributions. She doesn't want cash, just recognition.

Richard Harris says she doesn't want her great-aunt, or any of the other models, to be forgotten ... which is essentially what she thinks has happened with the hard erasure PepsiCo/Quaker have opted for.

Ditto for Wanetta Cowan -- great-granddaughter of Anna -- who says these conglomerates have made a fortune off their family members' images for decades ... and now just wanna act like they never existed. The remedy, in her mind, is simple ... payment for their descendants, in the form of royalties.