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The Michelin-starred Paris restaurant recently visited by Serena Williams has responded to her claim that she and her children were denied access.
On Monday, August 5, the former professional tennis player posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, about the incident. In the tweet, she specifically addressed The Peninsula, L’Oiseau Blanc for not giving her and her family a table. “Yikes @peninsulaparis,” she wrote on the platform at the time. “I’ve been denied access to a rooftop to eat in an empty restaurant of nicer places [sic] but never with my kids. Always a first.”
Shortly after the tweet was posted, the hotel appeared to reply through its own X account, claiming that although the restaurant may have looked empty when Williams arrived, the tables were still all booked.
“Dear Mrs Williams, Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight,” the reply read.
“Unfortunately, our rooftop bar was indeed fully booked and the only unoccupied tables you saw belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was fully reserved.”
A staff member of the restaurant, Maxime Mannevy, also confirmed that there were no available tables when speaking to Variety, again clarifying that any tables that appeared to be open had “been reserved by clients of the hotel.”
“When [Serena] came there were only two tables available and they had been reserved by clients of the hotel,” Mannevy told the outlet. “My colleague didn’t recognize her and feels terrible, but he told her what he would have told any other client, which is to wait downstairs in the bar for a table to become available. That was absolutely nothing personal.”
After the Grand Slam winner posted about the interaction on X, the replies were split, with some believing the restaurant should have made room for the four-time Olympian, while others accused Williams of acting entitled by expecting a table and then publicly addressing the restaurant on social media.
“There might be something else going on in Paris…. Maybe not everything is about you? Just a thought,” one comment read.
“Oh no they treated you like you were one of the common folk?! Did you tell them who you are?” another commenter agreed.
“The restaurant replied and said they were fully booked. Please don’t start acting entitled and that they should make space for you just because of who you are,” a third commenter pointed out, with a fourth comment saying she should apologize to The Peninsula, L’Oiseau Blanc.
Other commenters thought eating at the restaurant wasn’t worth Williams’ time.
The Independent has contacted The Peninsula and a representative for Williams for comment.
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