Celebrity chef Neil Perry publicly blasts ‘abusive’ customer at his swanky new bar

Celebrity chef Neil Perry has publicly laid into an ‘abusive’ customer at his upmarket new restaurant Next Door in Sydney’s Double Bay.

The 65-year-old restauranteur, author and TV host shared the report from his restaurant manager for Thursday evening’s service on his Instagram page.

The report highlighted one particularly bad customer who became ‘very abusive’ when he wasn’t given a table outside and threatened the manager with a bad review.

‘This is one of the reasons why I never read Google reviews,’ Neil said.

‘They are in the main driven by people who are not serious about the food and service experience, this is a customer from last night at Next Door.’ 

The 65-year-old restauranteur, author and TV host shared the report from his restaurant manager for Thursday evening’s service (the Next Door team pictured)

In the restaurant manager’s report from the evening, he described service as ‘unexpectedly very busy’.

‘We didn’t start with many bookings, but we took a lot of walk ins and all the out-bys were respected,’ the restaurant manager said.

‘Really good spend per head for most of the tables.’

While he said they didn’t have ‘any complaints about the food or service’, the team did have trouble with a man on table 234 who ‘became very abusive when I didn’t give him a table outside (we were already fully booked)’.

The restaurant manager said when he told the man no, he was ‘threatened with a bad review’.

‘Other than that, all the customers were happy and satisfied. Probably one of the best Thursdays so far for both revenue and feedback,’ he added.

Described as ‘simple yet elegant’, Next Door serves cocktails, snacks and small plates made with native Australian ingredients (food from the restaurant pictured)

Neil Perry’s (pictured) post struck a chord with other restaurant goers and chefs, who also said they avoid reviews

It wasn’t long before Neil’s tirade struck a chord with other restaurant-goers and chefs.

‘I never read them either mate and we are one of the busiest restaurants in Melbourne. Bloody keyboard warriors,’ one chef wrote.

‘And they can ruin small businesses just like that!’ another added, saying he blocked the reviews of his own place.

A third customer wrote: ‘I have been coming to your restaurants since you and Phil W were at The Rocks. We have never had a bad experience’. 

Neil Perry is one of the most acclaimed and influential chefs in Australia.

He has managed several quality restaurants in Sydney, including Rockpool, and is also the co-ordinator for Qantas Flight Catering under his company Rockpool Consulting.

The bar Next Door is his one of his most recent ventures, and it is situated next door to Margaret, another of Neil’s restaurants.

Described as ‘simple yet elegant’, Next Door serves cocktails, snacks and small plates made with native Australian ingredients.