Harrisons of Terrigal owner and head chef in public stoush

In a screaming match that would make Gordon Ramsay proud, the owner of A Central Coast restaurant sacked his head chef and at least one staff member in front of shocked diners on Sunday.

Harrisons on Terrigal restaurant is temporarily closed after a public dispute on Sunday. Picture: AAP Image/Sue Graham.

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In a screaming match that would make Gordon Ramsay proud, the owner of Harrisons on Terrigal sacked his head chef and at least one staff member in front of shocked diners on Sunday.

Police were called to the popular beachside cafe when a row broke out between the owner Charlie Baynie and head chef Billi Sharp at the height of the lunch service.

The restaurant is currently closed and is expected to reopen soon.

Witness Alex Lynch later posted about the wild shouting match on Facebook.

“During our meal, we over heard loud yelling and countless swear words being dropped within the kitchen,” he wrote.

Harrison's on Terrigal in Terrigal's dining precinct.

“We witnessed the chef and owner having it out in the kitchen. The staff there were all young kids, not knowing what to do, however they maintained a very positive and calm approach to this situation, ensuring the customers were ok (sic) and had their meals and or refunds being offered, even knowing that they had just lost their jobs.”

Jamie Cole was having lunch at the time and heard “the c-bomb” being dropped loudly from the kitchen.

“As I was leaving there was a table of four foreigners waiting for food,” he said.

“They had no idea so I went over and asked them if they knew what was going on. I suggested to the owner he give them a refund because the food wasn’t going to be coming out.

“I’ve worked in hospitality so I knew how to use his EFTPOS machine to give them a refund.”

Harrison's on Terrigal burger. Image: Facebook.

Some people took to social media to describe the disturbing scene while other past employees vented about previous problems with the restaurant.

Other restaurants and cafes, meanwhile, stepped in to offer the sacked workers new jobs.

Sacked chef Mr Sharp posted on Facebook.

“Unfair dismissal & fair work trade have been [contacted].”

A police spokesman said officers attended and found the altercation stemmed from a dispute between staff and the owner over staffing levels and working conditions.

He said no charges have been laid.

OWNER’S RESPONSE

The owner Charlie Baynie spoke to the Express Advocate and confirmed that the incident happened and said it was the result of long standing issues with staff. He said he requested a staff meeting on Sunday.

“We got into a verbal altercation,” he said. “If we had the staff meeting this could have been prevented. It was very unfortunate for the customers.”

Mr Baynie, who took over the cafe in May 2018, said he had been in and out of hospital with serious health issues prior to the incident, and had noticed a downturn in the performance at the restaurant during that time.

He said he were dissatisfied with the way the restaurant was being run and had issued previous warnings.