Balthazar, a legendary restaurant frequented by New York’s elite, temporarily banned comedian James Corden after he allegedly verbally abused staff members on multiple occasions, with the restaurant’s owner describing Corden as a “tiny Cretin of a man” and “the most abusive customer” in the restaurant’s history.
Balthazar owner Keith McNally stated in an Instagram post on Monday that Corden had earned the “86” (meaning banishment or refusal of service) following two incidents in which he abused employees at the French eatery.
McNally stated that when Corden finished his main dish in June, he wanted a round of drinks to be brought to him “this second” and that his prior drinks be comped since he had found a hair in his food. McNally claims Corden was “extremely nasty” to the manager.
This month, McNally said, Corden returned to the restaurant for breakfast with his wife and complained to the server that there was “a little bit of egg white” in her egg yolk omelette. The final straw for Corden was when the dish was prepared but handed out with the wrong side (home fries instead of a salad).
You are incompetent in your role! You are useless at your job! McNally quotes from a report made by a management about what Corden allegedly said to the server.
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“Perhaps it would be best if I made the omelette myself!” To “smooth things out”, after Corden’s outburst with the waiter, the staff brought over complimentary glasses of champagne. When this happened, the server was “very shaken.”
A Corden spokeswoman did not immediately provide comment. When a manager was reached by phone on Monday night, they declined to comment.
It was not the first time McNally had used Instagram to ban a customer from one of his establishments; he had previously done so on two separate occasions before banning Corden.
Graydon Carter, a magazine editor, was publicly banned from the Italian restaurant Morandi in New York City last year after allegedly failing to show up for a reservation for a group of 12.
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(At the time, McNally said that he had brought in extra staff to make sure the meal went “perfectly for him” and that Carter had cancelled reservations at other restaurants, including Balthazar, on different occasions.)
McNally is known for being contentious, at least according to his Instagram posts and defends divisive figures like Woody Allen, who was accused of sexual assault by his daughter Dylan.
After receiving criticism for it and calling a lady on Instagram a “hooker,” McNally told the Daily Beast, “I hate to cancel culture and political correctness,” despite identifying as a Democrat.
McNally first banned Corden from entering the stadium but later claimed he was lifting the suspension because the comedian called to apologise. As McNally put it, he “apologised profusely.”
