A young restaurant manager in a Cardiff restaurant has described how wealthy diners humiliated her and said she would not to tolerate that sort of behaviour. Lily Griffith, 22, has hit headlines all over the world after her boss at Cora restaurant said he was giving the £1,000 paid by a wealthy group of diners to her because of the way they treated her while in the restaurant.
Lee Skeet shared an email on Twitter that he had sent to the head of the party. He ordered them to "never come back to my restaurant" after saying they had mistreated the 22-year-old staff member. You can read what he said in full here.
Lily was reduced to tears after spending three hours serving the table. It is reported a member of the group teased her for being a low-wage earner and told her she would have to work seven nights a week if she wanted to make a "living" salary.
READ MORE: Cardiff's food tours taking you to some of the city's best food spots
She said: "He used humiliating tactics, trying to degrade me for the job I love doing. He was saying: 'How do you make a living?' at this and 'Why don't you work seven nights a week?' It was upsetting - I had put up with that demeaning attitude while I served them seven courses.
"I was even told to 'stick my schnoz in that' after they complained about one of the wines I served them over the seven-course tasting menu."
Lee was furious when he discovered how Lily had been treated at the Pontcanna restaurant and has supported Lily.
She told BBC Radio Wales: "I have a lot of support and I am lucky that my boss, and friend Lee, has backed me up. I already respected him before, but I respect him even more now.
"He has not accepted that kind of behaviour. Hospitality workers, just speaking from experience, have always endured. It is not acceptable, and it is about time, people like Lee, made a massive deal about it and not accepted it and not welcomed that behaviour again.
"I have worked for Cora for six months and every one of my customers has been so pleasant, and been so personable. Everyone has been so nice and warm, so it has been one table out of a thousand. It was difficult at the time, but I had Lee supporting me the whole way."
Lily, who has five years' experience in the hospitality industry, said: "We don't want to call out the individual, it's not about naming and shaming anyone. But there is a point to be made about hospitality workers and the way they are treated. I hope I dealt with it professionally at the time but at the end of service Lee could tell I'd had enough of being treated so badly."
The six businessmen downed seven bottles of wine during the sitting and ran up a £1,000 bill, the largest since the restaurant opened in January.
The story hit headlines across the world and Lee admitted at the weekend that it had been a "whirlwind few days" and the "hardest" of his work life. Cora has been described as the "hidden 12-seatrestaurant serving the best food in Cardiff".
He added: "Since our drama at the restaurant lily has hit the news all over the world, rightly so. After what happened other people have anonymously come forward from the company involved to tell their own stories of similar bad treatment, the director has stood down and the company is under an independent investigation.
"It’s been hell for us both, but I couldn’t be more proud of how Lily has handled herself. She’s talked confidently and with class to countless journalists on tv and radio whilst not missing a minute of running the restaurant to the highest level. I’ve just hidden away and cooked.
"This has all happened because of her class and integrity and I’m in awe of the young woman she is. Well done mate. You are literally an inspiration to so many people."
