Food News

Chef Barbara Lynch sued by Boston for $1.7 million in unpaid taxes

The news of the city’s filing comes a month after Barbara Lynch announced that all of her remaining restaurants would close at the end of the year.

Barbara Lynch was sued by the City of Boston over unpaid taxes, a month after she announced all of her restaurants would close. Jonathan Wiggs /Globe Staff

By Katelyn Umholtz

November 14, 2024

2 minutes to read

The City of Boston has sued Chef Barbara Lynch for nearly $1.7 million in unpaid property taxes on seven of her former or soon-to-close restaurants.

The Boston Globe first reported the news Wednesday, when the Suffolk Superior Court filed the lawsuit against the acclaimed chef.

“Ms. Lynch has failed, directly and through her corporate entities, to pay taxes due and owing to the City of Boston despite clear notification from the City of Boston to each and all the corporate entities and to Ms. Lynch directly regarding the unpaid amounts,” the suit said.

The city also said Lynch has failed to pay these owed taxes for more than a decade, and those unpaid taxes accrue at a per diem rate of $366.94.

The seven properties mentioned in the lawsuit, and the taxes owed on those properties, include:

No. 9 Park, in the amount of $589,430 since 2011.
B&G Oysters, in the amount of $156,188 since 2011.
The Butcher Shop, in the amount of $148,269 since 2013.
Menton, in the amount of $515,107 since 2015.
Drink, in the amount of $134,714 since 2015.
Stir, in the amount of $8,003 since 2017.
Sportello, in the amount of $124,995 since 2012.

The news of the city’s filing comes a month after Lynch, a South Boston native, announced that all of her remaining restaurants — only No. 9 Park and B&G Oysters — would close at the end of the year. Earlier this year, she closed Menton, Sportello, and Drink, and announced she would sell the Butcher Shop and Stir. The Rudder in Gloucester also closed in October.

In a statement she blamed the pandemic and the “many difficulties faced” on those closures.

But recently, Lynch’s career faced significant upheaval. Last year, she was accused of fostering a toxic workplace, and she’s currently being sued by former employees for allegedly withholding tips. Lynch has denied both accusations.

The suit said the city believes that Lynch has the money to pay off the taxes owed from the restaurant properties she has sold or has plans to sell. The city also requested a temporary restraining order that would ensure Lynch pays those back taxes if and when a sale goes through on her business and properties.

The recent news of Lynch’s business marks an end to a decades-long restaurant empire built in Boston. During her career, Lynch received several James Beard award nominations and wins, was recognized as one of the best chefs in the U.S. by multiple publications, and innovated dining with her Boston concepts. No. 9 Park in Beacon Hill, which opened in 1998, put her on the culinary industry map in Boston and beyond.