Agrarian Kitchen Eatery slams abusive customer messages after announcing temporary closure
One of the state’s most popular restaurants has hit out at a Victorian customer who sent the business a barrage of abusive messages after being informed of its temporary closure.
Police & Courts
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THE owner of one of Tasmania’s most renowned restaurants has condemned the behaviour of a customer who sent abusive messages to the business after it was forced to close temporarily due to a staff shortage.
The Agrarian Kitchen Eatery, in New Norfolk, shut its doors on Friday, joining numerous other Tasmanian businesses hamstrung by the surge in Covid cases across the state.
Head chef Stephen Peak shared screenshots of aggressive text messages a customer from Victoria sent to the restaurant after being informed that he and his partner’s booking had been cancelled as a result of the snap closure.
“So much for professionalism in Australian hospitality … this is a disgrace!!!!” one of the messages read.
“I cannot believe your lack of endeavour and reliance on Covid as a crutch … Australia needs to get back to work … how would you have coped in world war … not I suspect.
“I will never darken your door again and will so inform all my friends and acquaintances of which there are many.”
Agrarian Kitchen owner Rodney Dunn urged people to show empathy towards hospitality businesses and their staff.
“We’ve been dealing with customers for a while and certainly you understand their disappointment,” Mr Dunn said.
“But to react like that, it was like a kid spitting his dummy and taking his ball and going home.
“The problem with that behaviour is it sticks out. And it really affects you because you’re trying to do your best and here’s someone trying to make your life harder.”
The Agrarian Kitchen hopes to be able to reopen next weekend.
Meanwhile, Sweet-Ness Cafe at Wynyard took to social media on Saturday to announce it was closing early after a man “decided to abuse the staff and then smash our front window today, because he was asked to follow the mandatory rule of putting his mask on”.
Tasmanian Hospitality Association boss Steve Old said it was “frustrating and annoying” to hear stories of hospitality staff being abused during the pandemic.
“(Venues) are already struggling, a lot of them, to keep the doors open as it is,” he said.
“So they don’t need the added pressure of people coming in and being disrespectful and abusive.
“If they’re going to do that, quite frankly they’re better off just keeping away.”
Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry boss Michael Bailey said the last thing Tasmanian businesses needed was “some foolish people coming in and hurling abuse at them because they’re trying to do the right thing”.
“No business wants to shut and businesses only choose that as a last resort option,” he said. “So it’s particularly disappointing to hear of Tasmanians not being more understanding of that situation.”
Mr Bailey was at a busy Salamanca Market on Saturday morning where he issued a call for Tasmanians to keep supporting Covid-safe events.
About 10,000 people attended the market, which Salamanca Market Stallholders Association president Emma Hope said was “one of the busiest days that we’ve had in recent times”.
“The Salamanca stallholders have done it really tough … so to get these sorts of numbers through is really, really pleasing,” she said.
Jury trials called off amid state’s Covid surge
TRIALS by jury in Tasmania have been suspended until at least mid-March because of the increasing number of Covid cases – a move supported by lawyers to “avoid chaos”.
In a circular sent out on Thursday, Chief Justice Alan Blow, said there was a risk of trials being aborted if jurors had to go into isolation.
He said there would be no jury trials conducted in Tasmania until at least March 15 and a further announcement would be made in mid-February as to whether they would resume.
“The risk of exposing jurors and others to Covid-19 infections are unacceptable,” Chief Justice Blow wrote.
“It must be remembered that jurors are compelled to come to the court, whether they wish to or not.
“If jury trials were to proceed with infection rates as bad as they are now, or worse, it is likely that a lot of trials would be aborted as a result of jurors or others testing positive or having to go into isolation as close contacts.”
Law Society of Tasmania president Simon Gates, said trials had been suspended in 2020 and it was a “sensible step to take in the circumstances”.
“While a delay in jury trials is not ideal, there doesn’t appear to be any alternative in the short term,” he said.
“There was a real chance a juror would have become ill and with retrials it would have been chaos.”
Prisoners Legal Service chair Greg Barns SC urged more judge-only trials and bail options.
“We urge greater use of bail so prisoners on remand are not languishing in appalling lockdown conditions,” he said.
“We also urge judge-alone trials and smart resolution by DPP and defence so as to avoid trials.”
Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said there was already a backlog of cases and the suspension of trials meant justice would be delayed for many.
“People will be remanded in custody for months before their matters can be heard,” she said.
“That’s not a functioning justice system, it’s unjust imprisonment and it’s due to a political decision made by the Premier to open the floodgates to Omicron.
“This decision impacts those who have yet to receive a verdict – and who may, ultimately, be acquitted.”
A government spokesman said Ms O’Connor’s comments were “incredibly hypocritical given she wants Tasmania to go into lock down, meaning trials would cease completely for an unknown period of time”.
Chief Justice Blow said arrangements had been in place for four weeks of jury trials to proceed in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie starting on January 31.
“Those arrangements have been cancelled,” he said, adding that people who had been sent jury duty summonses should ignore them.
Non-jury cases will proceed after the opening of the legal year on January 28.