DiFontaine’s To Issue Statement After A Customer Alleged She Was Sexually Harassed By A Staff Member

DiFontaine's has said that it is looking into an incident that allegedly occurred last night, involving sexually explicit comments from a staff member to a customer at their Parliament Street restaurant.

The incident came to light after Stacy Grouden shared her account of the exchange on Twitter.

Here's what she said

Guy working the @DFontainesPizza counter: may I give you a compliment? You have excellent tits
Me: uhhh goodbye forever#BoycottDiFontaines

— Stacy (@SilverStGroud) July 12, 2016

no joke unfortunately, he leaned on the counter in a v. creepy way and clearly thought it was an acceptable thing to say to me

— Stacy (@SilverStGroud) July 12, 2016

thank you. I'm pretty upset someone, never mind a person *at work* thought that was ok to say to a stranger

— Stacy (@SilverStGroud) July 12, 2016

I was so uncomfortable. and my friends had ordered already/were outside, I don't think he'd have said it if I wasn't alone :(

— Stacy (@SilverStGroud) July 12, 2016

Speaking this morning to Lovin Dublin, Stacy told us she was unsure how to react to the comment, which took her completely by surprise and left her feeling deeply uncomfortable:

"I believe my full response was 'ehhh, umm, well that's... goodbye forever' and I legged it out of there.

"I told my friends who were waiting outside, they asked if I wanted to go back in there and say something to him but I just wanted to leave, because I was upset and really thrown by being spoken to like that.

"I feel like he would not have said that to me if I wasn't alone. Really creepy behaviour."

She added that this was her first negative experience with the restaurant, following years of positive interactions with the pizzeria – which began life in Eamonn Doran's on Crown Alley in Temple Bar.

"I've been going there for years, and never had (or heard) a bad word to say about it before. You don't expect it in that context and it was pretty upsetting.

"It's disappointing that someone working in a busy, popular spot in Dublin like DiFontaine's wouldn't know that's a disrespectful, unacceptable way to address a customer."

After she tweeted her account of the incident, she received an overwhelmingly supportive response

that is beyond shitty. Hope you're ok

— Alan (@alan_maguire) July 12, 2016

Scumbag. They'll never see me again.

— Graham (@1fivefive) July 12, 2016

jesus fucking Christ. Glad I haven't eaten there in ages now. What an absolute arsehole.

— ???? happy beeps ???? (@RobHand) July 12, 2016

how can anyone possibly not understand how upsetting it is to be commented on like that in public?

— Dread Forever (@Bed_Forever_) July 12, 2016

fuck that SHIT

— Hannah Mamalis (@Hantmam) July 12, 2016

We also contacted a representative for DiFontaine's who said that they haven't yet been able to make contact with the staff who were working last night. 

We expect a comment from them later on today.