London law firm investigating after Cardiff chef blasts customers who treated waitress ‘disgracefully’
A London law firm has said that they are investigating after a Cardiff restaurant owner complained that his waitress was treated “disgracefully” by a group of customers.
Chef Lee Skeet, who owns the Cora restaurant in the capital city, said he was enraged after being told by his 22-year-old waitress Elisabeth Griffith how she had been treated.
He later decided to give her the entire £1,000 bill spent by the customers after feeling like a “shit employer”.
Ince, a London-listed law firm, told the Telegraph newspaper that they had begun an inquiry after the restaurant owner’s complaint. The investigation will be conducted by the firm’s independent directors.
A spokesman for Ince said: “The company has been made aware of allegations in the media in relation to senior staff attending a dinner on Wednesday evening.
“The independent directors have therefore initiated a formal investigation. Whilst it is ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
The email to the customers shared by Lee Skeet online had included the name of one of its recipients.
Lee Skeet at first contacted the person who booked the table and told them he would refund the £1,000 bill – minus a £100 for a tip for the member of the staff, as they did not leave one – on the condition they never visited the restaurant again.
He later changed his mind and said he would keep the money and give it all to Elisabeth.
On reflection I reacted too quickly and emotionally last night. Sorry I was a little bit angry and protective.
I’m not going to refund the customer’s money.
I’ve instead kept it and transferred to lily x 😅 pic.twitter.com/in1rsnNNsQ
— 𝕃𝕖𝕖 𝕊𝕜𝕖𝕖𝕥 (@leeskeet) May 5, 2022
“It’s only me and [the waitress] that work at the restaurant and we’re very close,” Lee Skeet had said at the time. “She’s really just like a daughter figure to me – so I’m very protective and could tell something was the matter.
“When [she] came to me after the shift, she was a bit more upset and told me what they were like and that one of them grabbed her by the arm a bit aggressively.
“It really upset me to be honest – I’ve got a daughter.”
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I trust the investigation is to reprimand the culprits and not to sue the restaurant!
Cardiff is way too full of smug “professional practitioners” and lacking in real value adding activities. Many of those firms won’t stand up well to scrutiny. Overcharging for services and behaving equally badly when socialising.
LONDON law firm the article said. Neither agreeing nor disagreeing with your statement. But curious as to it being a conclusion drawn from this story.
That may be, but they do have an office in Cardiff: https://www.incegd.com/en/contact/cardiff
Understood. Thanks for the correction. Sorry @hdavies15
They have an office in the middle of Cardiff.