Shrewsbury restaurant bill has a nasty aftertaste - with rude name
A couple had an unfortunate surprise after enjoying a romantic meal in Shrewsbury – after finding they had been called an offensive name on their restaurant receipt.
Victoria Whittle had been for a night out with her partner Mike Shawcross at the Silverton Hotel in Shrewsbury, when they noticed the name 'Shaw*****s' printed on their receipt.
The receipt was posted on Twitter by Victoria with the caption: 'that awkward moment when the host forgets that what they called your table is printed on the bill. #w*****s.'
The posting went viral, drawing national attention to the restaurant.
The hotel is owned by Donna Miles and David Cheshire, who said they were "mortified" at what they say was a "genuine mistake".
Mr Cheshire said: "During a busy Saturday night service, as normal practice, a reservation was lifted from the table plan reservation sheet and entered onto the system. A genuine mistake was made entering the name. The name was entered onto the system how it read on the reservation sheet."
Many of our regulars are now requesting that their receipts are printed with their names spelt incorrectly and rudely.'
Mrs Miles added: "When it was brought to my attention how Victoria interpreted the name I was mortified. I explained to her at the time that it was in no way intended how she interpreted it and that I'd genuinely entered it how I read their surname when pronounced. At which point I apologised and organised a complimentary cocktail for her."
Mrs Miles said she had been upset at seeing the receipt posted online, and refuted suggestions it had been deliberate, questioning why she would jeopardise her business.
She said: "Both David and I work tirelessly to ensure The Silverton is a success and recognise that this is due to the continued loyalty of our customers and them choosing to spend their money with us.
"To then discover that Victoria had posted a copy of the receipt online I was furious. For people to think that I had intentionally entered their name incorrectly and as a rude word is simply preposterous and untrue. Why would I potentially jeopardise all our hard work by 'insulting' the guests?"
She added: "While Victoria and her partner were with us they were welcome guests and no trouble at all. We're just disappointed that a genuine mistake has been played out in such a public forum.
"Having said that, the fallout from it has been quite amusing as many of our regulars are now requesting that their receipts are printed with their names spelt incorrectly and rudely.
"David and I have just laughed about the whole episode. It is an unfortunate episode, yes, but the support we have had has been fantastic, where people have rightly pointed out that there's more important things going on in the world!"
