The restaurant business can be a cut-throat place, especially if you mess with their cancellation policy.
But threats, name-calling and harassment? It just not on.
After a New York man found himself in hospital just before he was due to arrive at a Boston restaurant, he did what anyone would do - provide a courtesy cancellation.
Advert
However, the owner wasn’t having it and a very messy (and very public) bashing ensued.
Weeks after cancelling his reservation, Trevor Chauvin-DeCaro was contacted by Jen Royle, who owns a restaurant in Boston named TABLE.
Trevor shared her response on X, writing: "Wild story incoming. Last month, we had to cancel our Boston trip after I was hospitalized. As a result I had to use travel insurance to get my money back on our hotel, train, and restaurant reservations. Today I got this message from @tableboston."
Advert
Jen's Instagram DM read: “Hi Trevor, I own TABLE restaurant in Boston. I just wanted to personally thank you for screwing over my restaurant and my staff when you disputed your cancellation fee."
The frosty message continued: "I really hope in the future you have more respect for restaurants, especially small businesses such as mine. Pathetic.”
Little did Trevor know what would then ensue.
Initially responding to her message with clarification on his hospitalization and need to use his insurance claim to waive the cancellation fee due to his bank's process, a back and forth continued between owner and would-be-patron.
Advert
Instead of stopping the messages, Jen instead carried it on through multiple accounts - her personal Instagram account and her business channel (both now private).
One of which claimed that she would be contacting her lawyers and even suggested that Trevor had committed insurance fraud.
Speaking to the Herald, Trevor explained how it came about that he needed to cancel his hotel, seats to see Madonna on her tour and, of course, the TABLE reservation.
Advert
He said that his AmTrak train was significantly delayed: "The delay was a blessing in disguise. Thank God we were still home."
It was at home when Trevor realised he needed to head to the ER immediately and was hospitalized.
Trevor’s husband allegedly called the restaurant to confirm the cancellation and was told to contact their credit card provider if they were so ‘butt hurt’ about the $125 per person fee.
This is exactly what the couple ended up doing and they thought nothing of it until Jen popped up weeks later.
Advert
He told the Herald Jen’s response was 'simply uncalled for and wildly unprofessional.'
He said: “Even if you disagree with how a customer goes about canceling a reservation, her response was outrageous and unhinged. There’s no reason to ever do that to a potential customer.”
But Jen wasn’t having it.
In her own personal Instagram Story, Jen went as far as to copy a selection of text detailing Trevor’s hospital visit and wrote: “BOO HOO. Then call and cancel and explain! DISPUTING A CANCELLATION FEE IS WRONG!!!!”
Then, she doubled-down on her point about disputing credit card charges in another post: “I spoke to about a dozen business owners today who shared their frustrations in people walking all over them and disputing their credit card charges. THIS HAS TO STOP! The lack of respect and entitlement is gross.”
Now, all social media accounts connected to Jen and her business have been either privatised or deleted due to the backlashed caused by the pair's online feud.
TYLA reached out to both Trevor and TABLE for comment.
Topics: Food and Drink, Health, Travel, US News, Social media
Britt Jones