Laura Ramadei – A New York Waitress – Publicly Shames The Hedge Fund Titan Who Groped Her


A waitress in New York City has been groped and stiffed on a tip for the last time. Laura Ramadei, a waitress/bartender at the Lucky Strike on Grand Street in SoHo decided to go public when a hedge fund titan disrespected her, says the Gothamist.

According to Ramadei, when Laura went to Brian Lederman’s table and asked what he’d like, Lederman reportedly groped her rear end and asked if he could have the waitress “to go.” When she rebuffed his advance, Lederman left a short time later and left the waitress a paltry two-dollar tip.

Laura Ramadei lost it. She used Lederman’s credit card to figure out his name, and eventually where he worked. Laura decided to write an open letter to Lederman on her Facebook page.

“Dear Brian,

You came into the restaurant where I work and ordered a Stoli on the rocks. When I asked you and your companion if you’d be eating, or needing anything else from me, you put your hand – ever so gently – ON MY A** and asked if you could take me ‘to go.’ When I immediately stepped away and said, ‘Sorry, what?’ you probably gathered that I was and am not receptive of such advances from customers. We were in a family-friendly restaurant, around 6:30 pm, and I was wearing a loose-fitting, long sleeve shirt, jeans, and no makeup… so I’m not sure where the confusion arose as to what kind of service you were being provided. You left soon after, leaving a signed credit card slip and a two dollar tip (see picture included!). Your name is Brian Lederman. I found you, instantly, via a quick Google search online. I looked at your face on LinkedIn, the World’s Largest Professional Network. You work at Swiss Performance Management and Truehand AG, in Investment Management. Of course you do.”

Laura Ramadei went on in the letter to describe how she’s worked as a bartender for five years after graduating NYU with honors. Laura stated how she’d worked a lot of different jobs while she pursues an acting career to make ends meet and pay off her student loans, and though she hates bartending, it offers her the most flexibility.

“Over the years my knowledge and skill set have expanded, but I seem to be getting worse at tolerating the ‘service’ part. I deal with incredible amounts of entitlement, condescension, and drunk nonsense. And at a bar, it is impossible to ignore the fact that misogyny is alive and well. I can’t tell you how many times people have treated me horribly and I’ve memorized or photographed the names from their credit cards, fantasizing about internet revenge. But every time I’ve been tempted in the past (even after verbal attacks, physical affronts, or sexual harassment) I’ve stopped myself and let it go.”

However, this time Laura didn’t let it go. Ramadei ends the letter by saying that Lederman “broke this tired a** camel’s back.” She claims that the letter isn’t an attack on him, but maybe if he ends up seeing it somehow, he’ll realize how hurtful a simple gesture or comment can be.

“Or at the very least, maybe a Facebook passerby will read this and more deeply consider how they treat women, how they treat servers, and/or how they treat other people in general. And thank you. Without your inspiration I wouldn’t be quitting my job today, and endeavoring a better chapter in my life.”

Laura Ramadei’s letter didn’t go unnoticed – in fact, after she posted it on Facebook, it went viral. The New York Post took the next step and contacted Brian Lederman for a response.

“I’ve grabbed plenty of girls’ a**es in my life. But I’ve never grabbed hers.”

Lederman, who is a married, 57 year-old managing director at Swiss Performance Management & Fiduciary, went on the defensive when asked about Ramadei’s Facebook post. He said he remembered joking with the bartender that he’d like her “to go, with nothing on it,” but he never groped her.

“That f*cking c**t, for her to do something like that is pretty ridiculous. I will make sure she doesn’t get another job in New York City. I know everybody. The bar owners, the club owners – that’s a terrible thing to write about somebody.”

As of today, Laura Ramadei’s Facebook post has been shared over 6,000 times.

images via Facebook and The Daily Mail

Share this article: Laura Ramadei – A New York Waitress – Publicly Shames The Hedge Fund Titan Who Groped Her
More from Inquisitr