The owner of a Melbourne restaurant has hit back at a disgruntled customer who complained about slow service, calling her an “embarrassment”.
Restaurants and hospitality venues around Australia have been hit hard by the latest wave of COVID-19 cases, and Pelican’s Landing in Williamstown is no different, with 37 of its 45 staff contracting COVID, forcing the owner and remaining staff to fight to stay open.
One customer, Kristina, and her mother visited the restaurant on January 8 after buying a special offer that gave them $19 bar meals and a ‘table with a view’. When they arrived, they were disappointed to learn that the restaurant was short staffed and offering a limited menu. Kristina was less than thrilled, and wrote an email to the restaurant detailing her grievances, explaining that she and her mother waited 15 minutes to be seated and 45 minutes for service before they left without eating. She added that they had spent “$25 on an Uber” and called the service “disappointing” and “unacceptable”.
Pelican’s Landing owner John Mousaferiadis said he had “never been abused like this” in his 37 years of working in hospitality, adding that even Kristina’s mother appeared to be embarrassed.
Talking to the Daily Mail, Mousaferiadis explained, “We had a wedding of 60 people as well as 104 people downstairs with just two chefs on. We explained the situation to people when they came in and people even thanked us for the hard work as they left.”
Mousaferiadis said that Kristina was unhappy as a result of the limited menu, and “abused me in front of her mother”. He also revealed that he had suffered a heart attack only days prior to the incident as a result of overworking himself during the pandemic.
Responding to her email, Mousaferiadis wrote, “I am sorry for your experience. Obviously you have no idea what we are going through and lucky to be just open and trying to serve everyone with no staff.
“If you noticed most of Williamstown was closed beside us. What a disgrace you are to not only yourself but to me and your mother and now my staff.”
Image: Facebook
