In a city crawling with world-famous athletes, one had a public temper tantrum over not getting a table at a rooftop restaurant in Paris.
Former tennis star Serena Williams slapped The Peninsula Hotel on social media.
“Yikes @peninsulaparis I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in a empty restaurant of nicer places but never with my kids. Always a first,” Williams posted on X.
Yikes @peninsulaparis I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in a empty restaurant of nicer places ???? but never with my kids. Always a first. ????#Olympic2024 pic.twitter.com/lEGJR5WoEn
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) August 5, 2024
The restaurant replied that Williams could not grab what others already had booked.
“In response to Ms Williams’ tweet, for whom we have the utmost admiration and respect, as we do for all our esteemed guests, we reiterate our deepest apologies that we were not able to offer her a table at our rooftop bar when she arrived with her family and without a reservation,” the hotel said in a statement, according to the New York Post.
“We do always try to make space for walk-in guests but sometimes this is not possible,” the hotel said.
Dear Mrs. Williams,
Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight.
Unfortunately, our rooftop bar was indeed fully booked and the only unoccupied tables you saw belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was fully reserved.— The Peninsula Paris (@peninsulaparis) August 5, 2024
“On August 5th, our rooftop bar was indeed fully booked, and the only unoccupied tables at that time belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was also fully reserved,” the statement said.
“As an alternative, Ms Williams was offered an outside table downstairs at the hotel’s La Terrasse Kléber,” the statement, which ran along the same lines as a public post in response to Williams’s public gripe, said.
Of note, the eatery’s response caused Williams’ original post to get slapped with a Community Note, fact-checking that Williams was not “denied service” because the restaurant was booked full.
Many on X said Williams was out of line.
What did she expect? If “Bob from Oklahoma” had reservations at that restaurant for months, would Serena want “Bob” reservation, um, “lost” so she could take it because she is a rich elite? I am already getting sick of the elites and two-tier justice.
— Meg’s WHITE Privilege (rebranded frm Roger Todger) (@RogerTodger4) August 5, 2024
Oh no they treated you like you were one of the common folk?! Did you tell them who you are?
— Enguerrand VII de Coucy (@ingelramdecoucy) August 5, 2024
Nobody is more ostracized or victimized than people in the $300 million net worth club. It’s truly remarkable how they carry on.
— Lex Jurgen (@Lex_Jurgen) August 5, 2024
This was not the first time in recent weeks Williams has opened her mouth and been criticized for it.
In June, she hosted the ESPYs and made a racially charged dig at Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.
“white people”
a shame Serena had to go there, she should do better— Room 1408 (@mp4995491) July 12, 2024
“Caitlin, you are the Larry Bird [of the WNBA] in that you are an amazing player, you have ties to Indiana, and, uh, white people are really crazy about you,” Williams said.