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Meghan Markle, Naomi Campbell, and more: Hotel manager reveals nasty celebrity encounters in tell-all book
We all know that celebrities are often treated like royalty, whether it’s getting free swag, preferential treatment, or simply being recognised everywhere they go.
But while we love seeing our favourite stars living their best lives, it turns out that not everyone enjoys their company – especially when they come into a restaurant.
In fact, some celebrities have such a reputation for being difficult that restaurants actually dread having them as customers. And when you look at the stories wait staff have to tell about them, it’s not hard to see why.
There are hospitality workers who prefer brushing off these rude encounters, then there are some, like Michael Cecchi-Azolina, who remember — and publish a book.
Cecchi-Azzolina, a hotel manager once stationed at places-to-be where the rich-and-famous would come to wine and dine is releasing a memoir titled ‘Your Table Is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maître D’’.
Set for release by the year’s end, he recounted his experiences with some A-list celebrities that would leave most appalled in an interview with the New York Post.
Meghan Markle
The Duchess of Sussex is no stranger to controversy at this point, most recently raising eyebrows for her interview with magazine Variety.
Cecchi-Azzolina recalled one unpleasant encounter with Markle’s party in 2017, when an ‘irate’ woman demanded they be accommodated for a private table, which at the time was impossible.
The woman allegedly stressed her request was ‘for someone dating a prince’, and when this tactic didn’t work, said woman went all out on the attitude.
‘Are you aware that my guest is dating Prince Harry and about to be a duchess?’ he recalled being told.
‘My first impulse was to laugh. I could give two s***s about Prince Harry’s date, and by the attention the escort was drawing from the crowd at the bar, nor did anyone else.’ Cecchi-Azzolina said.
As for Markle, he said she ‘didn’t say a word’ and was ‘aloof’ the entire time her staff was having a fit.
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is an iconic face when it comes to the fashion industry, particularly when it comes to the representation of people of African descent in mainstream modelling.
But Cecchi-Azzolina remembers her for showing up without appointments and sending back food.
‘Naomi Campbell would come, be rude and complain about her food almost every time,’ he said of the model, recalling her being a frequent customer in the early 2000s.
‘She was someone we dreaded coming in,’ Cecchi-Azzolina added.
‘She needed a lot of attention. She sent back her food quite a few times.’
Anna Wintour
Speaking of fashion icons, Anna Wintour is a name synonymous with industry giant Vogue, having been its editor-in-chief since 1998.
If you ask Cecchi-Azzolina, however, she was like Campbell in the sense that she also had a knack for appearing unannounced, allegedly with no regard for the restaurant’s availability.
The ‘curt’ Wintour, according to him, had a preference for steaks cooked rare and served at once.
‘God forbid it was the least bit overcooked. She’d look at the server as though he’d just served her rat and have it sent back and redone. You’d think the raw meat would make her less sanguine,’ he writes. A rep for Wintour did not return a request for comment.
‘She’d just walk in or call and say, “I’m coming.” One time she came in and we were closing the back room and she insisted on sitting in the back room, and we had to keep a waiter there and give her own waiter. Boy, was that waitress pissed,’ he added.
The New York Post noted that representatives for Markle, Campbell, and Wintour did not respond to requests for comment.
Cecchi-Azzolina also recalled one unnamed influencer in his book, whose crew did the same thing Meghan Markle’s staff member allegedly did and tried to pull the ‘Do you know who she is?’ card.
This time though, he admitted this unnamed influencer’s party repeatedly tried getting a schedule the week before, but to no avail.
‘Do you know who this is! She has hundreds of thousands of followers. If you don’t seat the six of us now, she will close this restaurant down. No one will come,’ he remembered being told.
If celebrities being rude to wait staff seems vaguely familiar to you, it might be because of James Corden, who recently was banned from an upscale restaurant for being ‘one of the most abusive customers’ they have ever served.
Key Takeaways
- Michael Cecchi-Azzolina, a maitre d' releasing a book in December of this year, revealed some unpleasant encounters he had with celebrities.
- He claimed the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, supermodel Naomi Campbell, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, and an unnamed fashion influencer were difficult to deal with.
- Representatives of the parties named did not comment.
- Celebrities rude to hospitality workers hit headlines recently after comedian James Corden was banned from an upscale restaurant for alleged horrible behaviour.
So be polite, members - you never know, someone might end up writing a scathing book about you. Kidding!
So, what is your reaction to this story? Do you believe Cecchi-Azzolina’s claims, or is he simply gunning for free publicity by targeting famous public figures in his book?
You be the judge: share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below!