Noma Announces Sweeping Changes After Founder René Redzepi Resigns

The world-renowned restaurant is implementing new policies to transform its workplace culture following allegations of abuse.

Mar. 12, 2026 at 3:34am

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Noma, the world's most famous restaurant, has detailed sweeping changes it claims to have made in order to transform its workplace culture, after its acclaimed founder, René Redzepi, announced he would step away from the restaurant effective immediately. The announcement came on the first day of Noma's lavish Los Angeles residency, where a group of former workers staged a protest outside the event venue alleging years of physical violence, sexual harassment, and exploitation of unpaid labor inside the elite kitchen.

Why it matters

Noma has long been praised for its innovative cuisine, but has also faced criticism over the years for its reliance on unpaid interns and the grueling culture of its fine dining kitchen. The restaurant's efforts to reform its workplace policies come amid growing scrutiny of labor practices in the restaurant industry.

The details

Along with Redzepi's resignation, Noma released a detailed outline of reforms implemented over the past several years, including eliminating its controversial unpaid internship model, introducing a four-day work week, expanding employee benefits, and creating a dedicated human resources department. The restaurant also said it has launched an independent workplace audit to identify areas for further improvement. For Noma's LA residency, the company said it has hired local employees as full-time hires with above-minimum wage pay and health insurance.

  • Noma announced Redzepi's resignation and the workplace reforms on March 12, 2026, the first day of the restaurant's Los Angeles residency.
  • Noma eliminated its unpaid internship model and implemented other workplace changes in 2022.

The players

René Redzepi

The acclaimed founder of Noma restaurant, who has announced his resignation effective immediately.

Noma

The world-renowned restaurant that is implementing sweeping changes to its workplace culture and policies.

Jason Ignacio White

Noma's former director of fermentation, who has been a vocal critic of the restaurant's workplace practices and has launched a website to shed light on alleged mistreatment of Noma staff.

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What they’re saying

“All of your voices were with us in Silver Lake. Almost there. See you tomorrow.”

— Jason Ignacio White, Former Noma Director of Fermentation

“He can be the real change if he wishes. Workers who were abused and exploited now have a stronger voice.”

— Jason Ignacio White, Former Noma Director of Fermentation

What’s next

Protesters have announced they will return to the Paramour Estate in Los Angeles on March 13, 2026 to continue calling for accountability and broader reforms in the restaurant industry.

The takeaway

Noma's efforts to reform its workplace culture represent an important step forward, but broader accountability and independent evaluation of labor practices in the restaurant industry are still needed to address the systemic issues that have enabled abuse and exploitation of workers.