Coles Mascot Curtis Stone Has Defended James Corden After He Was Banned From Another Restaurant
"He's a great customer."
Australian celebrity chef Curtis Stone has rushed to the defence of James Corden after he was called out for reportedly being an “abusive customer”.
In case you missed it, NYC restauranteur and owner of Balthazar restaurants Keith McNally took to social media to call out Corden for being a “tiny cretin of a man” and “the most abusive customer” he’s ever known, confirming that he’d banned the comedian from his restaurant and detailing two alleged incidents.
Corden has since responded in a New York Times interview, in which he claimed he hasn’t “done anything wrong, on any level”, which prompted McNally to offer him ten years worth of free meals if he apologises to the staff he allegedly insulted. There’s a lot to unpack here, and to be quite honest with you I feel like I’ve had to hear about James Corden more in the last week than in my entire life.
But now, Australian celebrity chef Curtis Stone has chimed in, claiming that Corden is actually a great customer — in his restaurant, at least.
“I’m surprised, James Corden has always been an absolute gentleman in our restaurant. He has, he’s always been a lovely guest, he’s always been very kind and friendly to the staff, I’m shocked to hear that,” Stone told TMZ, likely referencing his Beverly Hills restaurant, Maude. “Very lovely. He’s a great customer.”
It goes without saying that Corden being nice to staff at Stone’s restaurant doesn’t necessarily mean that he wasn’t abusive to the Balthazar staff, but it’s nice to know he’s not always rude, I guess.
But Stone didn’t stop there. In addition to backing Corden, he also threw some subtle shade at McNally for speaking poorly of his customers. “We never talk about our guests, well I just did but I said something nice about them. I do think it’s a little off colour,” he told TMZ.
“We’re in the hospitality business, we create special moments for people, whether they’re celebrating or getting together with people they love and care about. Sometimes they have a lot of fun and sometimes they behave a little crazy, we make that safe space for them.”
While a safe space for the likes of multi-millionaires such as James Corden to wine and dine in peace is all well and good, we should probably also prioritise making restaurants a safe space for underpaid wait staff to be able to do their jobs without fear of being yelled at over egg yolk omelettes.