George Calombaris bans diner from his Greek restaurant Hellenic House Project in Melbourne after they left a ‘racist’ one-star review
- Celebrity chef George Calombaris lashed out at diner
- Diner left scathing review about his Greek restaurant
George Calombaris has banned a patron from his restaurant after the customer left a scathing one-star review complaining about the lack of Greek staff.
The diner had visited the former MasterChef star’s Hellenic House Project in Highett in Melbourne‘s southeast recently but left disappointed.
They claimed they had the ‘worst dining experience ever’ after booking six weeks in advance.
The customer said their table waited 45 minutes for their food after the manager forgot to put their order through.
‘Typically, we weren’t offered any compensation except that our food would be out in 5 mins. Which it wasn’t,’ they wrote in a one-star Google review.
‘I should’ve realised it was going to be a disaster when I had to ask for the menu after 10 mins.
‘Like others, we’ve dined in many, many restaurants and were keen to try this ‘authentic greek’ experience. It was far from it.
‘Practically none of the staff were Greek (inc the Manager who was of Indian descent) and the menu didn’t reflect what has been posted online. Calombaris – this place is a joke and you’ve certainly got a few people fooled.’
George Calombaris (pictured, with his wife Natalie Tricarico) has lashed out at a diner after they left a scathing one-star review
The reviewer slammed the Hellenic House Project restaurant giving it one-star (pictured) which Calombaris posted to his social media on Saturday
But the restaurateur hit back and said the patron wasn’t welcome in his restaurant again
But Calombaris hit back in a fiery Instagram post, telling the diner they were never welcome in his restaurant again.
‘Won’t lie. I am 99 per cent a very positive human. But this is horrible,’ Calombaris wrote on Saturday.
‘Yes, we made a mistake with your order. We are humans. And yes, my manager is Indian. You know who you are guys. You’re not welcome ever to [the restaurant]’.
‘You don’t have to speak Greek or be a Greek to work at THHP.
‘You just have to be a good human. I am so proud of my team. I hate racism. F***ing hate it.’
The Hellenic House Project (pictured in Highett in Melbourne) restaurant’s website describes itself as ‘a modern day-Australian movement’
His post was supported by some of his celebrity chef mates including co-host of My Kitchen Rules Manu Feildel.
‘Well done George, people like this should just stay home. And that is a very polite way to say what I really feel like saying,’ he commented.
Gary Mehigan, one of the original judges who starred with Calombaris in MasterChef Australia, also weighed in with a quote from humanitarian Mohamad Safa.
‘Our world is not divided by race, colour, gender or religion. Our world is divided into wise people and fools,’ Mehigan’s post read.
‘And fools divided themselves by race, colour, gender, or religion.’
Calombaris had posted a video to social media this week indicating there were teething problems with his newly opened restaurant.
‘Thank you to all of the guests who have come through the Hellenic House Project … yep occasionally we have missed the mark with some of you,’ he said.
‘Thank you for giving us a second chance. We are growing, learning, we constantly want to be better here.
‘The team are doing an incredible job and I’m very proud of them.’
The restaurant has a 4.3 star rating online out of 121 reviews.
The Greek eatery is the TV chef’s first venture into the hospitality industry since his empire went into administration in 2020.
George Calombaris and the Hellenic House Project were contacted for comment by Daily Mail Australia.
