Restaurant manager's great response to ‘toxic’ diner who called waiter a 'wet lemon'

Virgin Radio

11 Jan 2022, 15:41

Social media users are praising a restaurant for a brilliant response to a difficult customer.

Review websites can be very helpful for finding somewhere good to eat, but sometimes people go beyond constructive criticism about their experience and post mean things.

One such customer left a review alleging staff were "rude, arrogant, totally deluded" after they "spoiled" their daughter's 16th birthday surprise.

Writing about Lorenzo's Italian eatery in Preston, the reviewer wrote in November: "Booked this restaurant for my daughter's 16th birthday and as everyone knows how hard it is to organise this with the surprise getting spoiled.

"As usual we looked into different local restaurants who might be suitable for this. We decided to use this so called family restaurant who would understand the importance of family morals and know what it's like to organise such a event. How wrong I was."

The reviewer said they "called up" Lorenzo's to say they would drop off a birthday cake.

They said they were told that "whoever brought cake in would have to wear a mask," which they said was "fair enough".

They added: "Just before booking I went into the restaurant with the cake to be met by the most arrogant old person I have ever had the displeasure of meeting."

"As soon as I opened the door I was meet by a wall of rudeness being told I could not bring the cake into restaurant even though it was pre-arranged.

"I told him it was pre-arranged... then to be told they was doing me a favour even taking [the] cake that Covid guidelines said this could not be done."

They called the staff member they spoke to "a deluded pompous waiter" and another waiter a "wet lemon".

Not content with this, they then called the restaurant a "disgrace to the community".

They finished the review: "Do not use this restaurant, take your business to the other fine places in the community. I will never step foot in that doorway again."

Needless to say, general manager Ruggero L wasn't having the negative review.

He left a response to the customer, and fans have been praising the reply.

He wrote: "Your review shows the kind of person you are. Luckily you won't be coming to visit the restaurant again, so we don't have to deal with such a toxic person.

"Disgrace to the community? Like in lockdown when we baked hundreds of loaves of bread and gave them away for free?

"You didn't get your way so you come onto the internet to try and slander and damage a small business. Hope you feel better about it. Kind regards, the wet lemon."

The negative review was unusual for the restaurant.