A restaurant boss from Dorset has told a group of diners never to return to his establishment due to their "abysmal" behaviour. Tom Robsinson is the chef patron of Tom's Lyme Regis, an AA rosette winning restaurant.
Tom says his weekend was ruined when a group of 10 diners visited the Lyme Regis eatery and refused to pay £350 of their £450 bill. The party ordered some of the most expensive items on the menu at the specialist seafood restaurant before complaining.
Tom said in quotes reported by Dorset Live: "If restaurant owners could write reviews on their customers then tonight would be my one star. Tonight a table crossed the line and went above and beyond to make my guests and team fell uncomfortable."
Tom told Dorset Live that the table of 10 had called for a large group booking about an hour before their arrival. The group, which included adults and children, proceeded to order some of the most expensive items on the menu before causing a disturbance.
Tom continued: "Offering customers to 'have a go', spades hitting the back of customers heads, allowing children to climb on fuse boxes and gas fire heaters, ordering the most expensive items on the menu and refusing to pay, at a personal cost of £350 at a time when hospitality is struggling. To tonight's guests, if you see this never return to my establishment, I hope you are proud of your abysmal behaviour."
Restaurant staff were subjected to a series of nuisances, including the aforementioned children climbing across their site and guests. Tensions increased around the time of the bill when the guests claimed that the food was not up-to-scratch.
"We had a genuine fear that it would have escalated, and that would have substantially impacted and created a negative experience for the other diners," added Tom. "At the time was 50 other guests, we don't want people not having experience that they deserve."
Tom Lyme Regis have an AA rosette for culinary excellence, as well as being a finalist in two categories of the Trencherman’s Awards 2022. Tom says that the group concerned were not drinking heavily at the time and commented they "knew what they were doing and ordered the most expensive thing".
Tom ended his public post on the matter emphasising how the guests at the site are normally very well-mannered. "P.S. this is few and far between and i love hospitality, food and all out lovely guests i just wanted to remind people that we have a zero tolerance policy in regards to abusive behaviour towards our wonderful guests and my team of absolute rock stars."
If you wish to support Tom's Lyme Regis, you can find out about them here.
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
