Charged £660, diner at ‘UK’s best pub’ who had to cancel as father was dying
A GRIEVING son has slammed a Michelin-starred restaurant hailed as the UK’s best pub for not allowing him to change a table booking while his father was dying in hospital.
Martin O’Grady had handed over £660 as pre-payment for a birthday meal for six people at the award-winning Fordwich Arms near Canterbury, Kent.
But four days before the meal on New Year’s Eve, his father had a serious accident abroad and a family member attempted to change the reservation. The request was refused, as was a refund. Mr O’Grady’s father died on the day of the planned meal.
He wrote on Facebook: ‘We are utterly disgusted by this experience, not to mention £660 worse off, and just feel compelled to share this horrifying story with anyone ever considering making a reservation at this establishment.’
In response, Fordwich Arms head chef Dan Smith said he was ‘sorry to hear of Mr O’Grady’s loss’. He said the prepayment was taken due to ‘premium expensive ingredients’ being purchased specially and covering the wages of 16 staff.
He said: ‘This means that margins are very tight as always in restaurants.’
But Mr O’Grady claimed: ‘Their rationale is just about economics. The human aspect seems entirely lost on these people.’
He said he had not wanted a refund and merely hoped to change the date of the booking. The Fordwich Arms was awarded a Michelin star in 2018 and named the UK’s best pub by GQ magazine last year.