EXCLUSIVE
A family of glamorous food influencers who were wrongly accused of faking food poisoning and not paying $364 for a lobster dinner on Christmas Day have received an apology from the restaurant.
Jennifer Do and her two daughters Belinda and Julie Nguyen dined at Cabramatta’s upscale Silver Pearl restaurant in western Sydney on December 25, 2020.
The three social media influencers, who were joined by Ms Do’s partner, ordered to be served a live lobster sashimi style along with a bottle of red wine.
But after the group complained that there was no lobster and only left money for wine, the restaurant accused them of being “totally classless,” claiming they invented food poisoning to avoid paying the hefty bill.
A photo of the women at their table, which was shared on the restaurant’s social media pages three days later, mistakenly labeled them as “fraudulent diners” after discovering their names on social media.
Jennifer Do and her two daughters Belinda and Julie Nguyen dined at Cabramatta’s upscale Silver Pearl restaurant in western Sydney on December 25, 2020 (the family appears together at another restaurant)
The three social media influencers, who were joined by Ms Do’s partner, asked to be served a live lobster sashimi style along with a bottle of red wine (CCTV footage of the family speaking to Silver’s staff Pearl on the lobster).
A photo of the women at their table, which was shared on the restaurant’s social media pages three days later, labeled them as “fraudulent diners” after discovering their names on social media (pictured).
“Belinda, Julie and Jennifer, we are disappointed in your dishonest and fraudulent behavior,” the accompanying caption read.
‘We have hosted many food bloggers before and none have performed under this title.
“This is totally classless behavior and we hope $364 is worth tarnishing your reputation.”
The three women sued the restaurant and the case ended up in Federal Court.
Now, a very different picture of the night has emerged after the restaurant issued a lengthy apology on Thursday.
“Jennifer’s partner expressed dissatisfaction with the lobster, a complaint with which we respectfully disagree, maintaining that our food consistently meets the highest quality standards, and we vehemently deny any suggestion that our seafood is fresh or not. “says the restaurant’s statement.
In the photo: Silver Pearl’s brief apology
The terse apology marks a moment of vindication for the family, who say the allegations led to death threats and vile abuse, and that one of the daughters lost her job as a result of the fight (pictured: Julie Nguyen).
‘However, we accept that on December 28, 2020 we published a post about Jennifer, Julie and Belinda.
“We now recognize that none of them ate lobster and it was only Jennifer’s partner who did. We recognize that they paid for the wine.
‘We are aware that the posts gained significant traction and caused pain and embarrassment to Jennifer, Belinda and Julie.
“It was never our intention for the matter to come to such a head, and we are empathetic to them for any harm our publication may have caused.”
The terse apology marks a moment of vindication for the family, who say the allegations led to death threats and vile abuse, and that one of the daughters lost her job as a result of the dispute.
“Every time I go out I feel insecure because people call me a prostitute and a scammer,” Ms. Do said. 7news in November.
Belinda Nguyen revealed that her employer fired her two weeks after the restaurant allegations went viral.
“I’m being harassed online, in public… I’ve been harassed and I’ve received rape threats,” she said.
“We want to highlight the truth of the facts so that we can walk the streets safely without fear of being attacked or followed.”
The case was due to be heard in the Federal Court on October 31, 2024.
While the outcome is unclear, the restaurant was allegedly ordered to publicly apologize.
The Silver Pearl had previously said it would “vigorously defend” its position.
Daily Mail Australia has approached the restaurant for comment.
Julie Nguyen (above), Belinda Nguyen and Jennifer Do claim that Silver Pearl’s posts portrayed them fraudulently obtaining a free lobster and wine dinner by falsely claiming the food made them sick.
The restaurant had accused the family of going to another seafood restaurant across the street where they allegedly ordered lobster and wine again.
During a case management hearing last year, Judge Robert Bromwich suggested the matter might be better handled in a lower court or through mediation.
Judge Bromwich noted that the Federal Court generally considered higher risk defamation cases, such as those brought by litigants including acclaimed actor Geoffrey Rush and alleged war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith.
Attorney Roger Rasmussen, for the Nguyen sisters and Ms. Do, responded that it would be a shame if the Federal Court became a celebrity-only jurisdiction.
“I responded that it would be a shame if this court became a neighborhood disputes court, and that this matter was somewhere between the two, but rather at the neighborhood disputes end of the spectrum,” Judge Bromwich said in a ruling. .
Judge Bromwich also noted that he would be “astonished” if the Nguyen sisters and Ms Do received a “substantial amount of damages” if they were successful in their case.
Daily Mail Australia has approached the family for comment.