Serena Williams Labeled 'Entitled' After She Complained That A Paris Restaurant Turned Her Away — 'We Were Fully Booked'
Do celebrities deserve special treatment just because of their fame?
Dorothy Hong | Shutterstock Serena Williams is arguably one of the biggest names in the world of sports.
One would assume she has her pick of restaurants to eat at, but apparently, that’s not what happened in Paris yesterday.
Williams was turned away from a Paris restaurant with her family.
An Olympic veteran with four gold medals under her belt, Williams is in Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics enjoying the festivities as a spectator with her family.
Today reported that Williams “appeared as a flagbearer in the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics and has been seen cheering on athletes.”
Despite Williams’ high profile during the Olympics and general name recognition, she claimed she was “denied access” to a restaurant she wanted to eat at with her two children, whom she shares with her husband, Alexis Ohanian.
Williams took to X to share the news that was very upsetting to her.
“I’ve been denied access to eat in [an] empty restaurant of nicer places but never with my kids. Always a first,” she wrote on the app.
The post featured a photo of a sign for The Peninsula Paris, a hotel with six restaurants.
The Peninsula Paris responded to Williams on X and said, “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.”
Today reached out to The Peninsula Paris for a comment, saying, in part, “In response to Mrs. Williams’ tweet, for whom we have the utmost admiration and respect, as we do for all our esteemed guests; we can only reiterate our deepest apologies for her perception of tonight’s situation … She has always and will always be more than welcome with her family to The Peninsula.”
The drama-filled situation had social media users split.
Fellow X users who responded to Williams’ post and The Peninsula’s response were divided about how the situation should have been handled.
Some were on Williams’ side, and wondered how such a high profile celebrity could be “denied access.”
“How does one get denied when they are Serena Williams?” one user asked.
“Who doesn’t make room for a queen?” another inquired.
Leonard Zhukovsky | Shutterstock
However, others sided with the restaurant, which was not backing down from its stance that it was full and simply had no room left for Williams’ family.
“Using your fame to trash a restaurant because they did not bend to your entitled demands is being the worst type of person. I thought you were better than this,” someone said.
Another person added, “There might be something else going on in Paris. Maybe not everything is about you? Just a thought.”
Still, others brought the conversation back to the reality faced by so many. “Coming on to X to publicly complain and name a Parisian restaurant is pretty tone-deaf,” someone said. “A lot of us are just trying to afford groceries these days.”
There is an argument to be made for both sides here.
There is no simple answer as to who was wrong and who was right in this case. Serena Williams is, after all, one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, making her a huge celebrity. One could argue that people with platforms as large as hers deserve to be accommodated and treated with respect, even if it means rescheduling another guest’s booking.
Leonard Zhukovsky | Shutterstock
On the other hand, the argument could also be made that just because Williams is famous doesn’t mean she should be treated differently than anyone else. If the restaurant was already fully booked, then there simply was no room for her and her family. They were turned away just as anyone else would be.
Imagine for a moment if you were celebrating a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Olympics in Paris with a reservation at a fancy restaurant made months in advance and a celebrity took your table. Would you graciously accept your status as below them or would you be irate?
It all depends on your perspective of the world and your views on celebrities.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.