The Curious Case of Gwendolyn Butler
OK, I don’t actually know if Boston’s notorious "$3M Bartender" Gwen Butler was really christened Gwendolyn at some point in her life, but I just thought it sounded better in the title.
Anyhoo! PX This hereby presents the following NEWSFLASH: Gwen Butler’s recent appointment as General Manager of La Esquina has been terminated. We repeat: GWEN BUTLER HAS LEFT THE BUILDING.
Fascinating, isn’t it?
No? Why should you actually care, you ask? Who gives a goddamn, you inquire?
Well, New York magazine’s Grubstreet cares! So nyeah. And frankly, we here at PX This care too. And YOU— curious, sagacious, cognizant, voracious, zealous associate of the NYC Food & Beverage industry— maybe you should care too. Think of it as a compelling case study!
You may recall Boston’s scandalous "$3M Bartender"/"Full Comp"-blogger first made her big splash in NYC as anonymous-writer/Keith-McNally-pillorer "Sympathy for the Restaurant Industry."
She trundled through various undertakings, searing her mountainous brand upon the backsides of venues across the great island of Manhattan— Bubby’s, Daydream, Thunder Jacksons, etc— all culminating in an unprecedented and uproarious smackdown with Wonder Douche dumb chef, Ryan Skeen.*
Still, she managed to emerge triumphant, landing her "dream job" as GM of longtime über-hotspot, La Esquina.
Unfortunately, despite her entrusted duty-bound title, it wasn’t long at all before Butler was up to her old shenanigans, unable to resist the siren call of glorious foodie-blog superstardom. It seems that under Butler’s deft Deep-Throat email-wielding hands, La Esquina soon came under befuddled stupefied scrutiny, and avid supporters of "co-owner" Serge Becker were suddenly left scratching their heads wondering if they should take their patronage elsewhere.
Apparently, this didn’t bode well for La Esquina’s bottom line; "an insider" from the restaurant approximates it may even have possibly diminished the nightly cover estimate by as much as "30 percent," as the cool crowd moved their party up the street, to fellow chronic cool-dude Nur Khan‘s Kenmare.
However, another "La Esquina insider" tells us that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of Butler’s "wackadoo" tenure. As early as July 30, 2010 (mere weeks into Butler’s regime) the staff had already organized a mass email campaign to owner Derek Sanders, imploring the ejection of the newly-instated Butler.
Truth be told, we here at PX This have been fielding the plenitudinous grumblings ever since.
That surprises you, doesn’t it? I mean, after all, the whooole "blogger world" (whoever the hell that’s supposed to be) considers us to be "the La Esquina shit-talkers" (whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean)—
don’t they, dear?
[Please, by all means, hit that “La Esquina” tag-link, and just revel in all the "shit" we’ve been talking. While you’re at it, try the “Gwen Butler” tag-link too, and then maybe you can figure out what we’ve ever done to have Ms Butler trying to unofficially "blacklist" us from La Esquina for weeks now. According to a "La Esquina insider" (or two, or four, or more) that is.]
Oh waaait, never mind, I got it. It’s this comment here by our chieftain, isn’t it?
Well— you certainly can’t say she never told you so.
*Yeh, don’t think we didn’t catch that snide ignorant little dig on your Twitter page before you deleted it, Ryan Skeen.
Viva La Esquina!
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For more on this story, read PX Me – The Sequel to PX This Coming in April of 2013
Tags: EGO, FYOODIES, GWEN BUTLER, KEITH MCNALLY, KENMARE, LA ESQUINA, NUR KHAN, SCOOP, SERGE BECKER, SUPERSTAR, THE CURIOUS CASE OF, TOLD YA SO!
October 13th, 2010 at 12:44 PM
D’OH!
October 13th, 2010 at 1:38 PM
How many current/former La Esquina employees does Abbe have as her Facebook friends? I count 9 (not even including Gwen Butler).
October 13th, 2010 at 3:47 PM
It’s about time!
October 13th, 2010 at 4:17 PM
ding dong, the witch is dead
October 13th, 2010 at 4:55 PM
Oh, and Gwen-
I realize you’re probably begging your ol’ pals, Grubstreet’s Daniel Maurer and Eater’s Greg Morabito not to run with this story, or to print “your side” instead-
But I gotta admit, I’m just dying to see what you come up with in counterclaim.
I’m ready for you! Let’s tango, honey!
:)
October 13th, 2010 at 5:53 PM
Guess the lesson in all this is I better start paying more attention to those blind items! lol
October 13th, 2010 at 5:55 PM
“Blacklisted”??
Or maybe the lesson is don’t fuck with PX This! lol
October 14th, 2010 at 12:37 PM
Considering everything that’s happened in the past, i don’t know why anyone would still want to fuck with Abbe ;)
October 17th, 2010 at 10:18 AM
Well it took me awhile to finally get through all the links but I got the full picture now. That girl has got to be one of the dumbest people I have ever heard of. After everything that you guys did defending Thunder Jacksons when Beater was shitting all over it this is the thanks you get? And how stupid can she be making enemies of you guys? That you knew all along what was happening at Esquina and she never even saw it coming is insane. It’s the same thing all over again with the other food blogs. They could be swimming in all your insider information but they are so jealous and petty that they fuck with you instead. If I were you guys I would be doing everything in my power to see to it that she never works in this town again. She already got run out of Boston. It looks like it’s time to pack her bags again. There’s always Canada honey!
October 17th, 2010 at 6:12 PM
Milf, she won’t be getting a job where I work, don’t worry! lol
Whenever someone pisses me off now, I’m going to tell them “Don’t make me blacklist you, shit talker!” lol
October 18th, 2010 at 11:11 AM
@Milfweed
Not to mention the shit Abbe took from Gawker because Butler blogged anonymously. What was it they called her when they accused her of being Butler? Oh right, “batshit crazy”.
LOL.
October 18th, 2010 at 12:01 PM
i’m back :)
so!
who’s up for dinner at La Esquina?
hahahahahahahahahahahaaa
October 19th, 2010 at 10:47 AM
@MILFweed
Yeah, couldn’t help but notice the hypocrisy of Gwen Butler being hired at La Esquina as “news” on Grubstreet, but her spectacular firing from La Esquina is somehow *not* news.
[/rolleyes]
October 20th, 2010 at 10:36 AM
LOL.
What else do you expect from graduates of the Josh Ozersky Academy of Shady Journalism?
http://www.pxthis.com/tag/tool/
October 20th, 2010 at 1:48 PM
Gwen is friends with James’ GF
October 25th, 2010 at 1:41 PM
That would make sense – since Jame’s GF is a homewrecking coke pig with a face that looks melted rubber and a used Christopher St condom.
****S N A P ******
October 27th, 2010 at 2:14 PM
That is how Gwen got the job. But she fucked up everything.
November 10th, 2010 at 12:10 PM
Does Gwen work for Diablo Royale now?
November 10th, 2010 at 2:24 PM
Omg, she’s baaaaaaack!
http://nycintel.tumblr.com/post/1531050280/la-esquina-is-taking-over-shuttered-williamsburg
1) Anonymous industry blogger? Check.
2) PX This wannabe? Check
3) Cheapo freebie blog account? Check.
4) Obvious industry/grubstreet connection? check check and check!
She’s like an addict!!! lol!!!
November 10th, 2010 at 2:26 PM
Oooops, the grub link
http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2010/11/holy_mole_la_esquina_takes_ove.html
November 17th, 2010 at 12:24 PM
Just wanted to let you know that after Gwen got fired from La Esquina she got a Director of Ops title but she already got fired again.
November 17th, 2010 at 2:23 PM
Thanks, Anonymous. Was that a D.O. title at Diablo Royale?
Huh. They only have 2 locations.
October 27th, 2011 at 1:13 AM
lmfao! Not 100% sure but after Diablo she making sandwiches at the counter at Torrisi, then I think she was at Little Giant and The Smith. How many places can you crash and burn in a year!?! :O
September 6th, 2012 at 1:17 PM
I had the unfortunate displeasure of working with G. Butler. -wonder if she got fired for getting into fisticuffs with fellow employees?
September 6th, 2012 at 2:21 PM
Hey Cecily
As far as I know she got canned for general suckiness. But she has been known to get physical (in more ways than one).
When did you work with her? Just curious.