Posted on 03/07/2024 9:13:03 PM PST by nickcarraway
The controversy involves Jen Royle, the chef and owner behind North End Italian restaurant Table, and a customer who cancelled his reservation in January
Annie Harrigan is the Editorial Coordinator for Eater. North End Italian restaurant Table has set all of its social media accounts to private after screenshots that appeared to show a heated exchange between a customer and chef and owner Jen Royle on Wednesday, February 21, went viral. The screenshot of the conversation, which appears to have taken place over Instagram DM and in which Royle appears to berate a customer for disputing a reservation cancellation fee, has been viewed more than 23 million times on X, formerly known as Twitter, where it was posted by Trevor Chauvin-DeCaro.
Starting on the evening of Thursday, February 22, the restaurant was listed as permanently closed on Google, although lawyer Michael Ford who is representing Royle told the Boston Globe that the restaurant is still open. (The tag has since been removed from the restaurant’s Google listing.) On Friday, February 23, Eater Boston attempted to contact the restaurant, as well as Royle directly, but did not hear back. When Eater Boston reached out to Ford, he declined to answer questions, instead redirecting them to a PR representative for the restaurant, who also did not respond by the time of this article’s publication.
New York resident Trevor Chauvin-DeCaro tells Eater he booked hotel and restaurant reservations in Boston for a two-day trip earlier this winter. On the day Chauvin-DeCaro was scheduled to leave for the trip in early January, he says he fell ill and was hospitalized. Following his treatment, Chauvin-DeCaro and his husband began the process of canceling the various reservations they had made.
While Chauvin-DeCaro could cancel his reservation at some restaurants, like Ciao Roma, with no fees, he alleges that an employee at Table explained to him that the restaurant could not waive its cancellation fee and that he should contact his credit card company. Chauvin-DeCaro says that he reached out to his bank, Chase, through which he has a credit card with a robust travel insurance policy, to dispute the $250 cancellation charge from Table. After sending documentation proving his hospitalization, the bank reversed the charges on his card and, to Chauvin-DeCaro, the situation seemed resolved.
That is, until February 22, when he received a DM from Table’s Instagram account, several weeks after canceling his January reservation. The message, seemingly sent from the restaurant owner Jen Royle, 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. I really hope in the future you have more respect for restaurants, especially small businesses such as mine. Pathetic.”
Royle, through the @TableNorthEnd account, appeared to continue to engage Chauvin-DeCaro over DM, and also began to post screenshots of their interaction to Table’s Instagram story, tagging him. (Chauvin-DeCaro, for his part, says he continued to try to explain the extenuating circumstances surrounding his reservation cancellation.) In Chauvin-DeCaro’s X thread, the screenshots appear to show that the person claiming to be Royle blocked, then unblocked, Chauvin-DeCaro several times. Screenshots also appear to show commentary about the interaction with Chauvin-DeCaro on Royle’s personal Instagram.
In Chauvin-DeCaro’s screenshots of Royle’s personal Instagram story, Royle is shown saying that Chauvin-DeCaro’s “lack of respect” and “entitlement” is “gross.” In a final message from @TableNorthEnd received by Chauvin-DeCaro approximately seven hours after he first posted the interaction to X, Royle claims that her legal team has been contacted and that Chauvin-DeCaro will be hearing from her lawyers.
Chauvin-DeCaro’s tweets took off quickly. At the time of this article’s publication, the original tweet has 128,000 likes. Chauvin-DeCaro claims he has been fielding hundreds of responses in the ensuing social media firestorm, ranging from messages of support to homophobic slurs and death threats.
“I’ve muted the conversation on Twitter so I’m not getting notifications from that anymore,” Chauvin-DeCaro says. “I’ve got a thick skin… [But] you can only be told that so many times before it wears on you.”
On Table’s Yelp and Google listings, negative comments citing Royle’s treatment of Chauvin-DeCaro take up the first 20 pages of reviews. Yelp and Google appear to be removing negative reviews from the last 24 hours; both platforms have restricted new reviews of Table. “I have not asked anyone to send reviews,” Chauvin-DeCaro says. “I have not encouraged that. It’s not something I wanted to happen.”
Royle’s attorney told the Boston Globe on Friday that in the aftermath of Chauvin-DeCaro’s tweets taking off, Royle allegedly has also received death threats and has been in touch with the Boston Police Department. Ford said that Royle reached out to Chauvin-DeCaro in the first place because it is challenging to be a small business owner (especially as a woman), and Royle also did not believe that Chauvin-DeCaro canceled due to a hospitalization.
Table is an acclaimed special occasion spot in the North End, known for its $125-per-person, prix fixe dinners served family style at two communal tables in a small dining room. Royle, a former sports reporter with a brash reputation, opened the restaurant in 2019 and it has been featured on best-of dining lists for outlets like Eater and Boston Magazine. The restaurant will charge for the full price of dinner if reservations are canceled within 48 hours of the scheduled seating, according to the cancellation policy listed on Table’s website.
Although this is the first time a contentious interaction between Royle and a customer has been publicized to this degree, it is not the first time Royle has responded publicly to customers, some of whom left Table critical feedback on review aggregate sites. One-star reviews on Yelp and Google prior to February 21 have been challenged by accounts seemingly tied to Royle. In some responses, these accounts attributed to Royle have alleged the commenters leaving negative reviews are fake.
As of Monday all of Royle’s personal and professional social media pages across Instagram, Facebook, and X appear to have either been deleted or set to private; Table is still listed as permanently closed on Google. Reservations, however, are still available to book through Resy.
Update: February 28, 2024, 12:02 p.m.: This article was updated to reflect that Table is no longer listed as permanently closed on Google.
She is nailing people 72 hours out.
Here is her policy.
CANCELATION POLICY:
Every reservation requires a valid credit card through RESY. Upon booking your reservation, you agree to our policy. You must cancel 72 hours prior to your reservation to avoid being charged. If you cancel within 48 hours, you will be charged full price and receive a $50 gift card per person.
SAME DAY CANCELLATIONS AND NO-SHOWS WILL BE CHARGED FULL PRICE WITH NO GIFT CARD. To avoid same-day charges, you have the option of picking up your food if you need to cancel at the last minute.
The deposit was a 100% in full charge, and if was such a hot restaurant, they could have seated someone elae for more than double profit, since they’d only be serving food once.
If they accept payment from a card with trip cancellation insurance, they run the risk of such insurance being used—without an accompanying right to berate the customer.
From what I have read elsewhere he or his “friend” (I refuse to write husband) did call and let the restaurant know why they would not be able to keep the reservation. That is not exactly a no show.
“How would you like to be a business owner and you set up all day long for a customer, and he doesn’t show up?”
Only one customer a night?
No wonder the restaurant owner is desperate for the $250!
“Elitist problems for elitist customers and elitist restaurant. Who cares?
🤣Lol my favorite comment❤️
And no, I really am not subject to class envy. I very much appreciate what I have, if modest, and do not desire a lifestyle where I have to put on a suit to go out to dinner!
That was a stupid reply
It’s the same thing.
Holeekrab can you not see that?
If all it took was “I don’t feel good” to get away with a last minute cancelation...
I think anyone who goes to a restaurant like that is stupid, even if it’s their right.
It was not just a “I don’t feel well.” He was in the hospital. Not sure if he was admitted after being in the ER but that can involve several hours of tests, and waiting, and consults, and waiting, and more waiting. He used his travel insurance. I am not sure how his policy worked but insurance usually is supposed to pay to cover loss.
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