Italian restaurant Don Giovanni has clapped back at a ‘vulgar’ reviewer following a comment that was left on the business’s Facebook page.
Bosses at the establishment have asked for customers to ‘be kind’ whilst dining at their restaurant after receiving negative feedback in which a customer called a waitress a “little scrote.”
The woman also said that the service she had received was “appalling” and that should would “never” be returning to the multi-award-winning restaurant after having been left to wait 20 minutes for a drinks order.
In response, the restaurant replied to the comments in detail, stating that they were “not a fast food restaurant” but a “fine dining” establishment that “serve our food fresh, not out of a microwave.”
The team also said: “Please refrain from using vulgar language towards our staff online or in person. Our team are hardworking, passionate and dedicated to”
“We can appreciate that the road out of lockdown has been turbulent and we are beyond happy to welcome you all again into our restaurant each week. their roles within the Don Giovanni family.”
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As well as replying to the Facebook review itself, the restaurant team also screenshotted the conversation and uploaded it to their Instagram page with a message asking “please be kind.”
Image: Don Giovanni
In the Instagram caption, the restaurant team took the time to share some statistics highlighting the issues that have blighted the hospitality industry in the past two years – including the fact that the vacancy rate in the sector is now around 10 percent, stating that 3,000 unfilled jobs are currently being advertised in Manchester alone.
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The full post read:
“PLEASE BE KIND WHILE YOU DINE.
“We can appreciate that the road out of lockdown has been turbulent and we are beyond happy to welcome you all again into our restaurant each week.
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“All we ask is that you be kind while you dine.
“We understand not everyone works within the hospitality industry and might not have a complete understanding of the vulnerable position our industry is in.
“Here are a few things worth noting:
• The vacancy rate is now around 10% (200,000 staff across the UK and 3000 solely in Manchester) • 1/5 workers have left our sector since the start of the pandemic • Each hospitality business came out of lockdown at the same time meaning that every business is now on the look out for staff
“Anything you find unsatisfactory can be raised with your server or our managers during your visit. They will be more than happy to help rectify the situation.
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“Please refrain from using vulgar language towards our staff online or in person. Our team are hardworking, passionate and dedicated to their roles within the Don Giovanni family.
“We thank you for your continued support.”
The post has been liked hundreds of times, but there have been some mixed messages in the comment section.
Asked for comment, Don Giovanni’s general manager Allel said: “As a premium, well oiled, city centre establishment I would say we have seen it all – but these are exceptional times we are in.”
“We have a long-standing management team, who take pride in what they do and the dining experience of each guest.
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“On the rare occasion when it doesn’t go to plan, as management we take that personally and do all we can to rectify that situation.
“But as management, we must protect our staff and our business, and such incredibly rude behaviour and language simply will not be tolerated by us.
“Yes, if someone is unhappy we welcome that being brought to our attention, but abuse and vulgar language being used to describe our member of staff is simply unacceptable to us.”
Feature image – Don Giovanni
News
30 years ago, the IRA detonated a 1,500kg lorry bomb on Corporation Street in the heart of Manchester – here’s the story
Georgina Pellant
Today marks three whole decades since an explosion from the inside of a lorry parked on Corporation Street shattered windows and destroyed buildings across the city centre.
Causing an evisceration that stretched for miles, when the 1,500 kilogram IRA bomb went off in 1996, it was the biggest detonation in Great Britain since the Second World War.
Following the explosion, the city fell silent – leaving rack, rubble and ruin in its wake. Famously, one red post box was left standing – today fitted with a memorial plaque in remembrance of the tragedy.
It seems scary to think that back then, most people could only stand there, watch on and worry.
The bomb caused an estimated £700 million worth of damage to Manchester’s infrastructure and economy, and over a quarter of a century later, locals still tell the stories of where they were when it went off – and of the devastation it left behind.
Notably, one resident of the Cromford Court maisonettes on top of the Arndale – a 77-year-old RAF veteran suffering from the flu – didn’t even bother to get up when the telephone warning to evacuate hit, considering himself to have survived much worse feats during his time in military service.
Having been a rear gunner in a Lancaster in the war, he reportedly told police and authorities “he was buggered if he was going to let a small bomb affect him.”
In subsequent years, Danny O’Neill has become a part of an urban legend surrounding the bomb as his staggering story has been told time and time again.
Around 90 minutes prior to the detonation, the Provisional Irish Republican Army had telephoned in warnings – meaning that around 75,000 people were able to be evacuated from the area before the bomb went off from the back of a van.
However, the bomb squad were unable to defuse it in time, leading to over 200 injuries from people still left in the area.
Thankfully, despite those injuries, there were no fatalities, and many of those reported traumas came from the shattering of thousands of windows and other damage to buildings in which unsuspecting people were getting on with their days.
Several buildings near the explosion were damaged beyond repair and had to be demolished, while many more were closed for months for structural repairs, and this prompted the biggest regeneration of Manchester city centre ever – something that is still continuing to this day, arguably at a more rapid rate than ever.
The city lay dormant for days after the explosion, as people came to terms with what had happened and kept their distance. Many moved out of the centre for a period of time, while many more simply decided not to visit for fear of another incident.
It was a desolate place, eerily quiet, and in need of some serious TLC.
According to Home Office statistics, an estimated 400 businesses within half a mile (0.8 km) of the 1996 blast were affected, 40% of which did not recover.
Credit: Manchester Libraries
Market Street – near the explosion and at that time the second-busiest shopping street in the UK – was considered by some a “fearful” place, and one that was to be “avoided like the plague”.
The prospect of pulling Manchester’s bustling city centre out of its darkest depression was not casually approached by those in charge.
It was acknowledged as a mammoth task from the get-go, but Greater Manchester has never let anything get in its way. Despite how steep the hill is that we’re standing at the base of, we always manage to reach the peak, ready to go again.
Manchester City Council green-light new venue at Medlock Square, with Mamma Mia! The Party to open the immersive space
Danny Jones
The smash-hit ‘Mamma Mia: The Party’ is set to land in Manchester next year as the maiden event of another brand-new space set to open as part of the upcoming Medlock Square development.
Etihad Campus has seen a lot of moving pieces over the past few years, be it the building of Co-op Live, the ongoing expansion of Man City’s home ground, the soon-to-launch hotel attached to the stadium and now Medlock.
But those in control of the land are content with stopping there; this looks to be just the start of a whole new evolution for the East Manchester area, with an as yet untitled new immersive arts, experience and events venue also set to join the new slate of projects.
You see another glimpse of the purpose-built mini arena, of sorts, down below.
With plans having now been approved by the City Council, the ‘immersive’ space will be situated between the Etihad, Co-op Live and Medlock Square itself, holding up to 600 guests per performance.
Currently set to open in late 2027, following the rest of the square’s launch window being fully rolled out, we still don’t know the name of this next addition, but the structure itself will dovetail with the surrounding buildings and areas as part of seasonal activations, live shows and sports screenings, as well as pop-ups, brand collaborations and more.
Looping back, the interactive, multimedia extravaganza that is ‘Mamma Mia! The Party’ will finally be making its Manc debut as part of the 10th anniversary of the all-singing, all-dancing and even all-dining in-demand production.
As per an official press release from the Medlock Square media team, the show will combine “live music, theatre, food and storytelling” and “offer visitors an unforgettable night out.”
The original UK production at The O2 in London has now surpassed more than 1,500 performances, with a total of 700k guests attending these shows in 110 countries across the globe. Safe to say it’s rather popular.
As for Medlock Square and the surrounding Etihad Campus, Manchester City supporters have also been given another look at the soon-to-open, immersive hotel tie-in experience.
With a skywalk, rooftop bar, a new MCFC shop and various other bits set to spill out onto Medlock Square, it all feels like a period of wholesale changes over in the blue half of the city – especially with the football club bidding farewell to their manager Pep Guardiola after more than a decade.
Following the new and improved North Stand being named after him in the first of many tributes, the City Football Group (CFG) are also set to commission a statue in his honour over the coming months.
Meanwhile, Medlock Square is also due to open later this year, although an official completion date has not been confirmed.
You can stay up to date with all the latest on Mamma Mia! The Part’s Manchester shows right HERE.
Not forgetting a brand-new women’s football facility, too, there is so much stuff going on over at the Etihad that it can be hard to keep track, but here’s the latest look at some of the rooms set to feature in the hotel of the same name.
Georgina Pellant -
6th October 2021 
