A young woman in Melbourne has issued a stark warning to diners after a deeply unsettling experience at a popular restaurant, where the owner allegedly accessed her personal contact details from the booking system to send her a late-night text message.
An Innocent Dinner Takes a Dark Turn
Sabrina Renda, a 25-year-old woman, was enjoying a meal with a friend at a well-known Melbourne restaurant when the establishment's owner approached their table for a friendly conversation. While the interaction seemed cordial at the time, Ms Renda claims the situation escalated disturbingly once she returned home that evening.
The Midnight Message That Caused Alarm
"I went to check my messages before I went to sleep, and at 12.47am, I received this text," Ms Renda explained in a video shared on TikTok, where she displayed an image of the alleged message from the restaurant owner.
The text read: "Hi, is this Sabrina? I know this is bad (reaching out to a client). I don't do this normally. Hope you don't mind me messaging you and if you think it's bad then please accept my apologies."
Feelings of Violation and Disturbance
Although the message contained no explicit language, Ms Renda described feeling "deeply unsettled," "disturbed," and "violated" by the communication. She expressed particular concern about the timing and the owner's self-incriminating language.
"It's 12.47am and he's almost incriminating himself, saying, 'This is bad...' That just tells me he has probably done this before if, with no invitation at all, you felt comfortable reaching out to me," she stated.
Privacy Concerns and Professional Boundaries
Ms Renda emphasized the serious privacy implications of the incident, noting that restaurant booking systems should protect customer information rather than facilitate personal contact.
"Once you have your details in a booking system for a restaurant, they should not go any further, they shouldn't become personal details," she asserted. "This man was old enough to be my father... old enough to creep me out and make me feel deeply unsettled and disturbed."
Additional Allegations of Inappropriate Behavior
The young woman further alleges that during her visit, the restaurant owner took a photograph of her without permission and hugged her after she had extended her hand for a professional handshake.
"I felt so violated. It ruined what was otherwise a nice night," Ms Renda recounted. "We all deserve to go out and enjoy a girls' dinner without coming home to realize we were being creeped on the whole time."
Questioning the Propriety of the Actions
Ms Renda expressed bewilderment at the owner's decision-making process, questioning why he believed accessing her private contact information would be more appropriate than approaching her in person.
"This man clearly knew coming on to me in person would be inappropriate, so I'm not sure why he thought taking my number from my booking details and messaging me at 12.47am would be any less appropriate?" she asked.
Restaurant Yet to Respond to Allegations
Multiple requests for comment have been sent to both the restaurant and its owner regarding these serious allegations, but no response has been received at this time. The incident raises important questions about data privacy, professional conduct in the hospitality industry, and the safety of customers when their personal information is stored in business systems.
