Like sports and home renovation, the line between the culinary and entertainment industries evaporated long ago, and there have been celebrity chefs since Julia Child first mastered the art of French cooking for the masses to enjoy.

But for a society that used to operate (and yes, still operates in many places) on the assumption that women belonged in the kitchen, the inclusion of women in the professional kitchen has always been a battle. Like other battles being fought and won all over, progress has been historically slow but, thanks to Food Network and the popularity of shows like Top Chef, female chefs are inching into the spotlight as well.

While the surge of prominent men getting fired, stepping down and taking leave has triggered a lot of hope among women who've been systematically numbed into having to operate as if their dignity and feelings do not matter, at the end of the day we'll still be left with way more non-famous people who either don't have the built-in platform that celebrities have—or, more likely, the schmuck who hurt them isn't famous, and therefore the media simply will not pay the same amount of attention.

Which is why, whatever happens to Mario Batali's standing in the celebrity-chef and restaurant world, we can't forget that there's a big old industry catering to every taste out there, from fast food to five-star dining, where this sort of behavior is happening every day.

And that's where the personalities like Tom Colicchio, Anthony Bourdain and, presuming he meant what he said, Johnny Iuzzini come into play. They know what goes on in those kitchens and back offices (even if they don't know specifics), they know what they could've done better as bosses, and they have huge followings. Managers and executive chefs should be more concerned that they're going to get fired, than should the wait staff, chefs, busboys, bartenders, hosts, dishwashers and everyone else who toil long hours, whether they're looking to own a restaurant one day or just want to earn their paychecks and go home.

"Right now, I'm just focused on ensuring that our more than 1,000 employees continue to have a safe and positive work environment," Bastianich said today in response to the Batali allegations.

As Batali himself said on The Mind of a Chef, "the food is only 50 percent of the experience." Indeed, restaurants should ideally be a place where women still want to eat after hearing the full story about how their food made it to the table.