MasterChef winner slammed by fans for shaming customer’s ‘unbelievable’ request – but who’s in the wrong?
A MASTERCHEF winner has been criticized for shaming a customer's 'unbelievable' request when visiting his establishment, but others agree it was out of order.
Simon Wood made a post putting the diners on blast for entitled behaviour as they asked for a favour ahead of eating at his restaurant in Manchester.
The customer wrote an email to the fine dining eatery WOOD, enquiring: "As it’s the first anniversary from me and my husband, would it be possible to give us a good table with a nice view and maybe a complimentary dessert? As I want to surprise my partner.
"Thanks in advance for your answer."
The disgusted chef shared a screenshot of the email on X, blurring out any personal information belonging to the sender.
He added: "Unbelievable…. Free food for celebrations, that’s why we’re here after all…"
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He added an emoji of someone shrugging, and one that signifies having your mind blown.
However, not everyone agreed with the MasterChef champion.
Several people hit out at his post, complaining that he shouldn't mock his customers on social media.
One person wrote: "Publicly shaming a customer that asked for a complimentary dessert on their special day is so ghetto. She asked nicely and with courtesy. Could have used this to show empathy and score cheap points with it. It’s just a f*****g Tiramisu ffs.
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"Chef needs customer service training."
Another agreed: "I really don’t see this as a huge crime, and it’s a bit of an overreaction to publicly shame a customer, even with their email redacted.
"Regardless of your opinion on whether it’s justified or not, they only asked a question. People negotiate all the time from many different businesses. They’re within their rights to ask just as you’re within your rights to say no."
A third person saw where he was coming from but still criticized Simon's handling of the situation, saying: "I understand your annoyance but there are restaurants who do give a free dessert with a candle for birthdays, for instance.
"You have probably lost a customer now, shaming them publicly like this is not cool. Just as much as she could have handled it better so could you."