The owner of an upscale restaurant in East London says his customers are 'insufferably' rude, with their bad behaviour costing his business £1,000 a week. Ferhat Dirik, owner of Mangal 2 in Dalston, took to social media to air his frustration at diners, labelling them 'insufferable, entitled and unforgiving p***s'.
Mr Dirik, whose father founded Mangal 2 in 1994 after moving from Istanbul, said other restaurateurs had sympathised with the growing trend of 'dire manners'. Last-minute cancellations for large parties have accelerated, with many refusing to pay the fee, causing weekly losses of around £1,000.
'We have a booking for eight people and then the group suddenly cancels, so we are left scrambling to fill that spot,' he told the Metro. 'But when you tell them they have to pay a cancellation fee, they start arguing with you. Most people say a family member is ill, but it just feels like a trick.'
The dad-of-two, who has worked in hospitality for 25 years, said he noticed increased rudeness around 18 months ago. 'People now have less disposable income, and now there also seems to be less empathy. There is a mindset of wanting to hate whatever they eat.'
Mr Dirik also bemoaned 'unforgiving' one-star reviews for dishes being salty, waiting 15 minutes to be seated, or a drug addict wandering into the building. 'We're all poorer than ever before. We're all more frustrated with life than ever before. Living standards have dropped. But your annoyances are misdirected.'
