A Married At First Sight Australia star says she was humiliated when she was kicked out of a popular restaurant for eating alone. As Claire Nomarhas sat down for Korean barbecue on Sunday night, she was ordered to leave by wait staff. Due to the venue’s strict minimum two-person-per-table dining policy, the reality TV star’s dinner plans were shattered.
Even though Nomarhas did not want to name the restaurant, she said dining establishments should be more accommodating to solo diners. “I waited in the queue for 25 minutes and got seated,” she told Daily Mail Australia. “After a few minutes, staff began turning on the barbecue burners and asked when my friend would join me. When I said I was my own, they said I had to leave.”
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In the restaurant, which takes walk-ins only, diners filled the tables. “It was embarrassing, but I wasn’t really offended or mad,” Nomarhas added. “A diner on the table next to me that was celebrating a birthday reached out to me afterwards saying she felt bad about not asking me to join them.”
After Nomarhas left without incident, she recounted her ordeal in an Instagram Story. “I have never been more embarrassed in my whole entire life,” she explained. “So I have no drama whatsoever going for dinner by myself. I love a good meal by myself. It tells me I don’t get, I don’t get my balls broken, and I eat what the f— I want. Happy days. I am so embarrassed. What a loser.”
In the end, Nomarhas admitted she would go back with friends to the restaurant three days after the incident happened. “I don’t want them to lose business as a lot of people are doing it tough at the moment,” she said. “Looking back, I can understand why they have the policy.”
But Nomarhas noted that not everyone has company when dining out or prefers to dine alone. “I’m a massive foodie, and I love eating alone because it means I can order whatever I want,” she said. “Restaurants need to keep an open mind that not everyone is in a relationship. Imagine the shame for someone who’s told they can’t dine there alone, and they’ve just lost their partner.”
A Sydney chef, Luke Mangan, said solo diners are welcomed at his establishments. “100 percent, I encourage it,” he told 2GB’s Ben Fordham. This weekend, Mangan will open a new restaurant in Sydney. He invited Nomarhas to dine solo at any of his restaurants for lunch or dinner. “Tell me what time, and I’ll be there,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
