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New York’s restaurant scene appears to have its own Joker-like super villain.
A former hostess was arrested in 2024 for throwing poop in Tao’s koi pond — and now she’s unleased her special brand of chaos on a brand new Brooklyn restaurant.
Page Six is told that Ariel Roman — who was later sued for the gross stunt by the trendy Asian-fusion restaurant — showed up in disguise at Williamsburg spot the Sparrow to wreak revenge on a server she claims is her ex-boyfriend.
Roman posted to TikTok video that showed her confronting the guy at the Sparrow on Jan. 18, captioning the video: “Serving my… ex with a six-figure lawsuit at his job.”
In the clip, the alleged “ex” can be seen escaping to the restroom while the French restaurant’s bewildered owner, Dawn Eldridge, tries to escort Roman out.
Eldridge told Page Six that the poor server was left, “terrified, shaking and panicking.”
Then Roman went after Eldridge online, accusing the restaurateur of “manhandling” her, and bizarrely demanding, “Do you support… men who strangle cats?”
Eldridge told us the employee has since gone MIA. (We weren’t able to reach him).
“I don’t know [Roman],” Eldridge told us, “I don’t even know the server, who I hired two weeks ago.”
Sadly, it seems that the online antics have won some support for Roman, whose clip ran up more than a million likes.
“I’ve been assaulted with one star reviews, abuse and claims that I kill and eat cats at my restaurant,” Eldridge said.
Her viewers have since flooded the restaurant’s social media pages with unhinged comments and one-star reviews. Eldridge said it’s already damaging her business, adding that the restaurant has seen a rise in cancellations since the video, and that some staff have left amid the turmoil.
“We had to close for two days to regroup because we didn’t have enough staff,” she said.
When we spoke to Roman, she seemed a tad remorseful about the online hate campaign, telling us, “People have taken it too far.”
“I just said what happened [on the video], and people decided to do that stuff on their own. People feel strongly about animals… don’t f–k with cats,” she said.
Hospitality insiders have been trying to help by blowing the whistle on Roman and making sure her supporters are aware of her previous arrests on aggravated harassment and assault charges.
Roman has denied any wrongdoing, and maintains she’s a target for being a #MeToo whistleblower who, she claimed, exposed predators in nightlife (including her “ex” at the Sparrow, she claims).
Eldridge says police and the mayor’s office are unable to do anything about Roman’s TikTok posts.
“They can’t arrest her and I feel hopeless,” Eldridge told us, “My restaurant has barely been open a month, and I have a 15 year lease.”
A judge awarded damages to Tao in the poop matter.
English (US)