EKSKLUSIEF: Restaurantbestuurder, 22, hits out at wealthy customers who mocked her for earning low wages after her boss slammed them on Twitter and gave her the £1,000 they spent
A young restaurant manager has told how she was reduced to tears after three hours of hell serving a table wealthy customers who ‘disrespected’ her because she was a low-wage earner.
Lily O’Connor, 22, ended up in tears after being bullied by the men from a top legal firm.
One of the diners advised her to work seven nights a week if she wanted to make a ‘living’ salaris.

Front of house manager Lily, 22, was mocked and told to work every night to make a ‘living’


O’Connor said the posh law firm workers were ‘trying to degrade’ her for doing a job she loves. But Lily, who has been handed the entire £1,000 they spent after being subject to the abuse, is the real winner
Front of house manager Lily said: ‘He used humiliating tactics, trying to degrade me for the job I love doing.
‘Hy het gesê: ‘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.’
Chef and restaurant boss Lee Skeet was furious when he discovered Lily had been ‘touched unwantedly and talked down to’ at his Cora restaurant in Pontcanna, Cardiff.
He contacted the company who made the booking and told them he would repay their £1,000 bill but take off a £100 tip for Lily.
But the firm didn’t respond and Lee, 25, has now given Lily the full amount to compensate for her three hours of abuse.
Lee and Lily blame just one of the six men at the table for picking on her because she was a young woman working hard in a struggling industry.
Lelie, who has five years’ experience in the hospitality industry, gesê: ‘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.
Lee, who has worked for celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsey, Marcus Wareing and Tom Aikens has banned the company from returning to Cora which is always fully booked because it has just 12 dek.
Father-of-two Lee said: ‘The booking was made by a secretary from the company – it was a work dinner.
‘The company boss was present, he was the lead guy but not the troublemaker. It was someone else at the table.
‘It is not going to happen again – people should know that behaviour like that will not be tolerated in this restaurant.
‘We have a tight-knit customer base and I want people to know that if anyone behaves like that they are not welcome here.’
Lee was busy in the kitchen at the time but said he noticed a change in Lily’s demeanor while serving the table.
Hy het gesê: ‘I could see she was a bit aggrieved and she told me they were not the nicest of people.
‘It’s my responsibility to look after her – it made me feel like a bad employer and a terrible dad, having my own daughter.’
Lee described Lily as a ‘brilliant’ front of house manager adding: ‘Before I had my own place I worked in Michelin starred restaurants.

Owner Lee Skeet said Lily is ‘by far the best I’ve worked with’ and called out the horrible abuse
‘She’s by far the best I’ve worked with – that’s why she’s been given that role.’
Lee was inundated with praise on social media after tweeting that ‘we should start calling out rich people who think they can treat people like c**p’.
He has made a new rule that staff should make him aware of bad behaviour while customers are still in the restaurant.
Lee gesê: ‘If it happens again, Lily can come straight to me and I will deal with it at the time it happens.’

Boss Lee advised Lily she should get him over next time and he’d ‘deal with it at the time’

Lelie (pictured in a social media post) said she was left in tears by the diners’ cruel treatment
DAAGLIKSE POS KOMMENTAAR: Spiralling wages will make us all poorer
seleksie
1 Uitsigte0 Opmerkings0 Hou van
DAAGLIKSE POS KOMMENTAAR: Spiralling wages will make us all poorer Spiralling wages will make us all poorer It's half a century since this country experienced the depressing and economically debilitating folly of inflation...