Christmas might be a time to put aside differences, but one pub saw their festivities cause chaos, as kitchen staff walked out — leaving families without their dinners
Christmas Day was left ruined for dozens of customers after the pub serving them had an entire staff meltdown. Many of those who had come to tuck into their festive dinners ended up going hungry, despite shelfing out nearly £100 for their meal.
In a move almost resembling Fawlty Towers, kitchen staff were seen walking out at the peak of their service after arguing with each other for much of the day. Tensions got so high that some people ended up breaking down into tears as the day unfolded.
Since then, the pub has shut its doors to the public, citing “unforeseen circumstances”. The owners added that they were extremely sorry to their guests for the disruption and are now in the process of reaching out to those with bookings.
The drama began on Christmas Day as guests began to arrive at The Golden Fleece in Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk. After arriving at the pub, punters were greeted by staff yelling at each other and waits of over an hour for their festive dinner.
Julie and Jamie Dooley, who had gone to the pub for their own meal, said that not even families or the elderly were spared from the wait. Ultimately, the kitchen had to shut its service down after only two and a half hours, causing many guests — who had paid £90 each for their dinner — to go without.
Julie revealed she had booked the restaurant with her partner as it was only one of two pubs that allowed dogs to join in on the festivities. Arriving at the pub, the pair were given prosecco to start off with, but eventually waited over an hour to receive their starters.
“We waited for about an hour, an hour and a half before we were finally served our starters, at which point people around us hadn’t had some of their food at all,” Julie recalled. “The kitchen staff began arguing among themselves.
“I witnessed a chef take his jacket off and walk out. And at that point, things really started to change in terms of the atmosphere; we had a member of staff serving us, and she was actually in tears.”
She added that several staff members were seen crying, as James likened it to the chaos of Fawlty Towers. He explained that after about two hours, the pair were told they would not be getting anything else for their Christmas dinner.
“We got told that the kitchen was no longer wanting to serve food and was refusing to carry on, and therefore we wouldn’t be getting any dinner,” he recalled. “One particular lady had come with a family from Kent; “she was in tears and struggling to breathe because she was so upset.”
Taking to Facebook, the pub itself wrote on New Year’s Eve (December 31) that the establishment was “temporarily closed” as a result of “unforeseen circumstances”. They added that they were incredibly sorry to their guests and were now reaching out to those who had bookings.
“We’re doing our best to reach anyone with upcoming bookings, and we truly appreciate your understanding and continued support,” the statement added. “We look forward to reopening as soon as possible and will keep you updated along the way.”
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