After Serena Williams Claimed That She And Her Kids Were Denied Entry To A Restaurant In Paris, A Staff Member Detailed What Apparently Went Down

“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. 🙄,” Serena tweeted on Monday.

By
Leyla Mohammed
by Leyla Mohammed

BuzzFeed Staff

On Monday, Serena Williams publicly accused a restaurant in Paris of denying her and her kids access.

Serena Williams stands outdoors, wearing a dark blazer over a black button-down shirt. She has long, wavy hair and a calm expression
Marc Piasecki / WireImage

Serena is currently situated in the French capital for the 2024 Olympics, along with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, and their kids: Alexis Olympia Jr., 6, and Adira River, 11 months.

Serena Williams in a fitted gown, Alexis Ohanian in a suit, and daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. in a glittery dress at the ESPYs red carpet
Gilbert Flores / Variety via Getty Images

Serena claimed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that The Peninsula Hotel — which is a Michelin-starred establishment — “denied” her and her family a table despite being empty.

Serena Williams poses on the red carpet in an elegant black gown with silver accents, accessorized with statement jewelry and wavy hair
Amy Sussman / WireImage

“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,” Serena tweeted on Monday.

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
Twitter: @serenawilliams

Before long, the restaurant responded:

“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 restaurant wrote.

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
Twitter: @peninsulaparis

“We have always been honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again,” they added.

Moreover, a staff member of the Peninsula’s restaurant, named Maxime Mannevy, claimed to Variety that the available tables had already “been reserved by clients of the hotel.”

Serena Williams sits on a white chair wearing a white shirt with black trim, holding a microphone, and speaking
Erika Goldring / Getty Images for ESSENCE

“When [Serena] came there were only two tables available and they had been reserved by clients of the hotel,” said Maxime. “My colleague didn’t recognize her and feels terrible, but he told her what he would have told any other client, which is to wait downstairs in the bar for a table to become available. That was absolutely nothing personal.”

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