Serena Williams says she was ‘denied access’ to Paris restaurant, team explains incident

Serena Williams has criticized a Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris, claiming she was not allowed inside with her children. The Olympian said she and her family were not allowed to enter The Peninsula’s rooftop restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, in a post published on X (formerly Twitter). Williams wrote in the post that he was never refused entry while his family was there.

“Damn, @peninsulaparis, I’ve been denied rooftop access to eat in an empty restaurant in nicer places, but never with my kids. Always a first. #Olympic2024,” she said on the microblogging site.

damn @peninsulaparis I was denied access to the terrace to eat in a restaurant empty of nicer places but never with my children. Always something new. #Olympic2024pic.twitter.com/lEGJR5WoEn

-Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) August 5, 2024

Maxime Mannevy, an employee at the Peninsula’s rooftop restaurant, said Variety that Mrs Williams looked “unrecognizable” when she arrived pushing a trolley alongside another lady. “When she arrived, there were only two tables available and they had been reserved by hotel customers,” she said, adding that she was not working when Williams visited the restaurant.

“My colleague didn’t recognize her and feels terrible, but he told her what he would have told any other customer, which is to wait downstairs at the bar until a table became available. That was absolutely nothing personal.”

The restaurant reacted to the Grand Slam champion’s statement, with staff reiterating their reasons for turning away Ms Williams and her children at the table. “In response to the tweet from Ms. Williams, for whom we have the greatest admiration and respect, as we do for all of our esteemed guests, we reiterate our deepest apologies for not being able to offer her a table at our rooftop bar when she it arrived. with family and without reservation”, said the hotel in a statement to New York Post Office.

They said: “We always try to make space for guests, but sometimes that’s not possible.”

“On August 5th, our rooftop bar was really packed, and the only unoccupied tables at that time belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was also fully booked. at the La Terrasse Kléber hotel We have always been honored to welcome you and we will always welcome you again,” the statement added.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion initially came to Paris in late July, just in time for the “unforgettable” Olympic opening ceremony, which she attended as a torchbearer. Along with fellow tennis champion Rafael Nadal, nine-time medalist Carl Lewis, French greats Zinedine Zidane, Teddy Riner, Marie-Jose Perec and Tony Parker, Williams joined a long tradition of athletes carrying the torch. She also won four Olympic gold medals throughout her career.