Owner of the Iconic Restaurant Benito's Accused of Being a Creep

LUBBOCK, TX — A well-known Lubbock Italian restaurant, Benito’s, faces serious allegations against its owner, Arben Benito. Former employees claim that he has been withholding their paychecks and has reacted aggressively when confronted about it. Additionally, multiple staff members have reported experiencing a pattern of sexual harassment during their time at the establishment.

According to a Facebook post, a former employee of Benito’s, Maylee Flores, shared her negative experience, highlighting patterns of sexual harassment and withholding tips by owner Arben Benito. 

"I worked for Benito and it was one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had. He sexualized me and every female that walked in the door, including your daughters," said Flores in her post. "I got fired from Benito’s because I spoke up for myself. He doesn’t respect anyone including the paying customers."

Flores and many others who commented on the post also raised concerns about Benito's disrespect toward customers, his financial practices, and the unsafe work environment, particularly when drinking. They urged the public not to support the business.

Flores finished with, "It was always scary when he started to drink that’s when we knew to hurry and get out of there. Please do not support this business, he makes $ but still can’t pay his cooks and also he keeps ALL the bartenders tip-out at the end of the night."

A text exchange between an employee and the head chef also stated, "He was drunk and when they asked for their checks he got mad and tried to beat him with the big blender. The one they use to blend the marinara sauce. So when the other saw that, everyone jumped in and he told them that they could leave and he would never pay them."

Another allegation from what is deemed as a former employee, regarding sexual harassment, stated, "I put up with it to try and make the girls working feel safe while I was there, and cause I had a schedule that worked with my kids. But there's literally no girls who work there now, and we've also had a good number not even start their first day because he tried to sleep with them beforehand."

Further in the thread, the owner presumably shared a lengthy response addressing criticism about the workplace environment. The individual questioned why multiple former employees returned to work if conditions were so bad, suggesting that recent negative comments were from someone fired two months ago. 

In addition to recent complaints, the assumed owner who posted this comment addressed criticisms by highlighting that the individual who posted negative remarks had previously praised them as a boss. The employee emphasized Benito's commitment to the business, his family, and his love for America, labeling the negative comments as baseless.

Another wave of comments beneath his response suggested that these claims were unfounded, with many users advocating reporting the company to the Texas Workforce Commission.

South Plains LIVE! reached out to the accused, Arben Benito, for further comment regarding the allegations made against him.

Benito maintains that these allegations are false. He stated, "The cooks are salary and the restaurant is open every day, but they have a break from 2 PM to 5 PM."

He added, "Nothing is going on in the restaurant, and I run a break for my employees every single day. If what they say about withholding paychecks is true, I have never held anyone's paycheck. Everyone gets paid every week or every two weeks."

Concluding his remarks, Arben Benito said, "Everyone needs a job, and I always said they could come back. I can’t specify everything, but I promise you, none of it is true. They all got mad because I said there would be no more jobs for them. In fact, two of them came just last week asking for their jobs back."