19-07-10 Restaurant manager assaulted by customer seeks damages
A restaurant manager who was hit in the face by an irate customer is seeking thousands of pounds from Hotel Du Vin, claiming he was forced to quit after the way the company handled the affair.
The customer hit Mieczyslaw Ratayczyk, 28, a former bistro manager at the Birmingham hotel, because of what he saw as slow service, according to the Birmingham Post.
Ratayczyk was subsequently suspended – but the customer was offered a free meal, the tribunal in Birmingham heard.
Ratayczyk is claiming constructive dismissal and racial discrimination, after he was suspended for two days following the incident last April. He is also claiming for loss of earnings and damages for personal injuries.
An intepreter told the tribunal on behalf of Ratayczyk: “Having suffered deep humiliation and distress I was extremely upset that I was suspended.”
The former employee said general manager Mark Davies told him he was suspended for his own protection in case the diner visited the hotel again.
He added: “This feeling of betrayal was further compounded upon learning that the customer and his guests had been offered a complimentary meal and bottle of wine.”
Ratayczyk told the tribunal the incident would have been “handled differently” had it involved an English employee.
He has since returned to live and work in Poland.