After a string of sexual harassment allegations from women, a prominent bar owner in Phoenix was fired on Wednesday.
Tyka Chheng was instrumental in opening downtown Phoenix’s cocktail bars Baby Boy and Khla. The Liar’s Club is coming soon Since his arrival in Arizona in 2013, Chheng has worked his way up to the top of Valley’s cocktail scene. Chheng was a bartender at Highball before opening Baby Boy at The Pemberton. Before that, he was a bartender at Highball and managed the beverage program at Gallo blanco.
He recently partnered with John Sagasta (owner of Jobot Coffee & Bar) to open his downtown restaurants. The group formed Misa Hospitality.
After Wednesday’s allegations against Chheng, the hospitality company announced its separation from Chheng via posts to its social media accounts.
The post stated that “We have a strict zero tolerance for disrespect and disorderly conduct.” “It is with regret that we must inform you all that today we had to say goodbye to one member of our community due to inability to adhere to that policy.”
Khla is a bar on East Portland Street, which Chheng owns. It was named after his Cambodian heritage. Khla’s menu is full of Southeast Asian and East Asian flavours, as Chheng tried to incorporate his culture into the cocktails. He was praised for his efforts.
This was until Chheng’s reputation was under fire. Women shared photos and stories of troubling messages from Chheng, sharing screenshots with him.
Meagan Northcutt, a former Phoenix bartender, took the initiative and shared her story. She also encouraged other women to send anonymous tips to her if they weren’t able to post to their own social media accounts. Northcutt moved to Phoenix three years ago. However, when Chheng emailed her earlier this week, with a comment on a friend who still lives in Phoenix, Northcutt was fed up.
“Why aren’t you commenting on my friend’s picture saying “can I?” It’s like she’s an object. It really bothered me,” Northcutt said. Phoenix New Times. “I have had enough of dudes saying things like this, let alone with someone who is a bigger deal’.”
Northcutt stated that she is no longer based in Phoenix and feels comfortable using social media to share stories of other women who feel like they cannot speak up.
“It’s fine to be the voice of these women. I have nothing to gain.” I have nothing to lose.” Northcutt stated.
Northcutt stated that her inbox was overflowing with messages detailing the alleged misconduct of Chheng after she posted. After women requested that he stop sending them messages, he continued to send vulgar texts.
According to screenshots from conversations, Chheng offered to pay women $200-$1,000 to perform sex acts at least twice. New Times Other women claimed that Chheng followed their ride-share riders as they got picked up.
An anonymous Instagram user wrote Northcutt the following message: “I don’t care how brilliant he is or what, he IS a creep.” He is misogynistic and he is trouble.
New Times The authenticity and accuracy of the messages Northcutt received has not been independently verified.
Chheng didn’t respond to questions. New Times He posted a statement on his Instagram account Thursday night.
“I am sorry. I want to correct my mistakes the best way. I am sorry to all the people I have hurt and those who doubt my motives. I’ve taken a long, hard look at my past to see how it got here. He wrote that the human in him was completely embarrassed and mortified.
Chheng explained that he would be taking “leave” from the industry and will use that time to “get treatment, and hope to overcome this addiction and battle.”
Commentary has been removed from the post
Kyle Ledeboer/Courtesy Misa Hospitality ” href=”https://media2.phoenixnewtimes.com/phx/imager/u/original/14930630/image4.jpeg” title=”Colton Brock, one of the partners in Misa Hospitality, said the company was “appalled and disgusted” by Tyka Chheng’s alleged harassment of women. – Kyle Ledeboer/Courtesy Misa Hospitality”>
Colton Brock, one of the partners in Misa Hospitality, said the company was “appalled and disgusted” by Tyka Chheng’s alleged harassment of women.
Chheng’s Business Partners Form Ties
Northcutt stated that the sheer volume of messages she has received with similar stories was “wild.”
“It’s crazy that this person hadn’t been cancelled already. She said that this is what drives me mad and why I feel so passionate about all of it. “This is because the person who has power in Phoenix is the reason this hasn’t happened. That shit must stop.”
Northcutt said that Khla’s team responded almost immediately to her message on Instagram. They also apologized. She said that they had explained to her that they were going to cut ties and apologize to Chheng.
The social media accounts of Chheng’s bars posted a message calling him out on his name. It described his actions as “the most indecent of behaviors” and stated that he had been “ejected immediately from all projects.” The second statement was posted to each bar’s Instagram accounts and stated that the bars have a zero tolerance policy for disorderly behavior.
Many people applauded Brock’s and Sagasta’s responses to the Misa Hospitality members. Others, however, were critical of the apology’s wording.
The statement concluded, “Thanks for understanding that humans do make mistakes. We have no tolerance for disrespecting other people’s property.” Some people were outraged that Chheng’s alleged harassment of sexual partners was a “misstep”.
Send a message to New Times Brock elaborated on Wednesday’s company statements.
Brock stated, “We were appalled by Tyka’s actions yesterday and we immediately cut all ties with him”
This is against our code. There are many good people in our community who work with us. We wouldn’t accept such behavior from any partner, let alone from anyone. Brock said that Brock isn’t sure what additional information he could add except that we are trying to take the steps to make it right.
Several people commented on the statements of the hospitality group and demanded proof that Chheng had been completely removed from the business. They also requested proof that he will no longer be receiving any financial benefits from his former bars.
Khla replied to the comment on its Instagram account with a comment saying that Chheng was blocked from accessing his bank accounts, and that the process was underway to have him removed. The comment stated that the corporation takes a while to make changes, but it is possible to see the results within a week.
Khla commented, “There is no way that we are giving him another penny or aligning ourselves to someone who shows such lackluster morality.”
Others in Phoenix’s food and beverage scene felt that the situation was not surprising, but disappointing. It was indicative of an older “old boys club culture” within the local bar scene. Northcutt expressed hope that sharing her and other women’s stories would change that — or make it possible to create a safe space for women in the industry, which she said doesn’t yet exist.
She said, “This is just one story.” “Every woman in the industry knows a story about a dude like that. One dude who holds power or works for a brand, but they don’t know how to speak. These dudes should start calling one another out.”
