I banned an obnoxious diner for the first time. It started with the burnt tuile

June 22, 2026 — 3:00pm

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It was a good night. A night we were getting through somehow, despite a dose of trauma during the day. A member of staff had walked out during lunch service at the White Hart, my establishment in West Somerset, England – something I have learnt happens in the bonkers business of hospitality.

When the going gets tough, the tough – or not-so-tough – really do get going. They down tools mid-service, flounce out and you’re left wondering whether that’s the last you’ll hear of them, or if there’ll be an employment tribunal to look forward to.

A person down, and we got through lunch. Next stop, dinner, with the place bursting at the seams and, weirdly, very few staff on the rota.

I was hoisted in to work – desperate times call for desperate measures – and the young members of the team, our 17- and 18-year-olds who are my pride and joy, rallied. We were also expecting our landlord in for dinner, and I wanted them to have a good impression of our enterprise.

As the evening chuntered on, I managed the bar, somehow dispensing drinks to the pub and dining room. Things eased a........

© The Age