EXCLUSIVE
A family of glamorous food influencers who were accused of faking food poisoning and failing to pay $364 for a Christmas day lobster dinner, have received an apology from the restaurant.
Jennifer Do and her two daughters Belinda and Julie Nguyen dined at Cabramatta’s upmarket Silver Pearl eatery in Sydney‘s west on December 25, 2020.
The three social media influencers, who were joined by Ms Do’s partner, ordered a live lobster to be served sashimi-style along with one bottle of red wine.
But after the group complained that the lobster was off and only left money for the wine, the restaurant subsequently accused them of being ‘totally classless’, alleging they invented food poisoning to worm out of paying the sizeable bill.
A picture of the women at their table, which was shared on the restaurant’s social media pages three days later, labelled them ‘fraudulent diners’ after discovering their names on social media.
Jennifer Do and her two daughters Belinda and Julie Nguyen dined at Cabramatta’s upmarket Silver Pearl eatery in Sydney ‘s west on December 25, 2020 (the family are pictured together at another restaurant)
The three social media influencers, who were joined by Ms Do’s partner, ordered a live lobster to be served sashimi-style along with one bottle of red wine (CCTV footage of the family speaking to Silver Pearl staff about the lobster)
A picture of the women at their table, which was shared on the restaurant’s social media pages three days later, labelled them ‘fraudulent diners’ after discovering their names on social media (pictured)
‘Belinda, Julie and Jennifer, we are disappointed with your dishonest and fraudulent behaviour,’ the accompanying caption read.
‘We have hosted many food bloggers before, and none have ever acted this entitled.
‘This is totally classless behaviour, and we hope your reputation was worth tarnishing for $364.’
The three women sued the restaurant and the case ended up in the Federal Court.
Now, a very different picture has emerged of the evening after the restaurant issued a lengthy apology on Thursday.
‘Jennifer’s partner expressed dissatisfaction with the lobster, a complaint we respectfully disagree with, maintaining that our food consistently meets the highest quality standards, and we vehemently deny any suggestion that our seafood was and is not fresh,’ the restaurant’s statement said.
Pictured: Silver Pearl’s terse apology
The terse apology marks a moment of vindication for the family who claim the accusations prompted death threats and vile abuse, with one of the daughters losing her job in the fall-out (pictured: Julie Nguyen)
‘However, we do accept that on 28 December 2020 we published a post that was made about Jennifer, Julie and Belinda.
‘We now acknowledge that none of them ate any of the lobster and it was only Jennifer’s partner who did. We acknowledge that they paid for the wine.
‘We are aware the posts gained significant traction and caused Jennifer, Belinda and Julie hurt and embarrassment.
‘It was never our intention for the matter to escalate to the extent it did, and we are empathetic to them for any harm our post may have caused.’
The terse apology marks a moment of vindication for the family who claim the accusations prompted death threats and vile abuse, with one of the daughters losing her job in the fall-out.
‘Whenever I go out now I feel unsafe because people call me a prostitute and scammer,’ Ms Do told 7News in November.
Belinda Nguyen revealed her employer sacked her two weeks after the restaurant’s allegations went viral.
‘I’m being harassed online, in public … I’ve been stalked and I’ve received rape threats,’ she said.
‘We want to highlight the truth of the events so we can walk the streets safely without fear of being attacked or followed.’
The case was set to be heard in Federal Court on October 31, 2024.
While the outcome is unclear, it is assumed the restaurant was ordered to make a public apology.
The Silver Pearl previously said it would ‘vigorously defend’ its position.
Daily Mail Australia approached the restaurant for comment.
Julie Nguyen (above), Belinda Nguyen and Jennifer Do claim Silver Pearl’s posts portrayed them as fraudulently obtaining a free dinner of lobster and wine by falsely claiming the food made them sick
The restaurant had accused the family of going to another seafood restaurant across the road where they allegedly ordered lobster and wine again.
During a case management hearing last year Justice Robert Bromwich suggested the matter could be better dealt with in a lower court or by way of mediation.
Justice Bromwich noted the Federal Court usually considered more high-stakes defamation cases such as those brought by litigants including acclaimed actor Geoffrey Rush and alleged war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith.
Barrister Roger Rasmussen, for the Nguyen sisters and Ms Do, replied it would be a shame if the Federal Court became a jurisdiction only for celebrities.
‘I responded that it would be a shame if this court was turned into a neighbourhood disputes court, and that this matter was somewhere between the two, but more at the neighbourhood dispute end of the spectrum,’ Justice Bromwich said in a judgement.
Justice Bromwich also observed he would be ‘astonished’ if the Nguyen sisters and Ms Do received any ‘substantial amount of damages’ if they were successful in their case.
Daily Mail Australia approached the family for comment.
