Did Will Smith Movie Cost Restaurant Staff A Paycheck?

Will Smith’s new movie is (quite literally) bringing traffic to a stand still in LA, however reports it also caused an entire restaurant staff to miss out on a week’s worth of work may not be what they appear.

Will’s new action thriller “Hancock” (co-starring Charlize Theron) is filming in various parts of Los Angeles. And according to one report, while the crew is shooting scenes inside Café Pinot, the entire staff at is losing out on work, beginning on Monday and running through Thursday of this week.

However contrary to other reports, Access Hollywood has learned from a Patina Restaurant Group rep that Café Pinot did not, in fact, send their employees home without pay during the shoot. Instead, the days Will and the crew were filming became optional work days for the staff.

A rep for the Patina Restaurant Group (which owns the swanky Cafe Pinot) released the following statement to Access Hollywood:

“Patina Restaurant Group respects its staff and makes them the utmost priority. Regarding this particular story, inaccurate information has been disseminated. The staff at Cafe Pinot were given the opportunity to take available shifts, as there is a need for staff during the filming days. Staff members that wanted to work were able to take these shifts, and many opted take advantage of the filming days to take vacation. Restaurant management directly responds to any questions and concerns raised by the staff, and we always encourage our staff to bring their concerns to management or human resources, so that we can address any issues.”

The studio was not immediately available for comment.

So while Will avoided a restaurant uproar, sadly, the film will soon be the cause of some more major traffic delays in the LA area, specifically near the perennially congested LAX airport.

The studio has announced it will shut down sections of the 105 freeway while an elaborate chase sequence is filmed on Saturday and Sunday.