The office culture at Tim and Nina Zagat's office is "antiquated and weird," a former employee told Portfolio today, of the restaurant-guide publisher, which has been reported to be for sale for up to $200 million. Apparently, few will shed tears when the family passes the torch. "They have vendettas," another former Zagat worker told us this afternoon. "If you piss them off — give them a bad meal, are not as fawning to them as they would like — they'll kick you out of the book. I always thought that kind of vindictiveness was really hypocritical for a company that claims its reviews are 'by the people.'" Yikes! Either that ex-employee has a really good point or is just still bitter about the party the Zagats threw at their Central Park West townhouse last year. "Despite the open bar, the hosts didn't think to rent portable toilets for the occasion, nor did they want employees entering their home to use the bathrooms," says Portfolio. "Instead, suffering underlings were instructed to 'hold it.'" A Zagat rep did not immediately return calls for comment.

The Wait Is Almost Over for Zagat Workers [Mixed Media/Portfolio]