Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has apologised for leaving a restaurant without paying the bill but has denied claims of drunkenly asking a waiter, 'do you know who I am?'.
The claims by the waiter who served Whanau were first reported by The Post this morning.
Old Quarter manager Shay Lomas was working on Friday night when Whanau visited the inner-city Vietnamese restaurant with a friend. He told 1News that the pair sat at an outside table at the restaurant on Dixon Street.
“When she first showed up, we were a bit unsure if we should serve her alcohol… because of her presentation, you can tell she had had a bit too much to drink… the way she held herself and a bit loud and drunk,” he said.
Lomas said the staff decided to serve the table a bottle of wine that had been ordered because they were ordering dinner.
"There was no need to cut them off, but by the time they finished the bottle of wine, we decided we should not serve her anymore."
The manager said that didn’t need to be communicated to the mayor and her friend in the end, as they didn’t order any more alcohol.
He said restaurant staff didn’t notice the pair had left the outside table, but a person at another table passed on that the mayor and her friend had walked off.
Tory Whanau admits being 'tipsy' and accidently walking out without paying her bill at the central city restaurant. (Source: 1News)
Whanau's friend called up to pay the $140 bill the next day after forgetting to pay, the manager said.
At one point during the evening, Lomas said the mayor asked a waiter: “Do you know who I am?”
Speaking to Newstalk ZB, the mayor denied she posed the question but did say she was tipsy during the evening.
"I was tipsy, you know, and I'm always honest about that. I'd had a few wines. But this is just the reality of public figures, especially politicians. I'm keen to move past this.
"I'm keen to keep supporting our hospitality industry, which I always have, and move on to some of these big projects. I know Wellingtonians will want me to focus on the actual work, and that's what I'll keep doing," she said.
In a statement to 1News, Whanau said: "The Old Quarter is one of my favourite restaurants. I'm a regular patron. I am so embarrassed that we walked out without paying. It was an honest mistake, one that we corrected the next morning.
"I strenuously deny any other accusations about my conduct and being refused service. They are simply false."
Lomas says staff found it quite funny at the time: “The mayor just got too drunk.”
But now he feels it was "not the most professional behaviour, to be honest, but at the end of the day, she’s paid, and it’s not a big deal".
SHARE ME