Perhaps anonymity is the key.
After all, Kobe Bryant got food poisoning during the playoffs by eating a room service hamburger at the Lakers' five star Sacramento hotel. (Or however many stars the high end hotels in Sactown would have.)
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Slow down people. Kelly English is a star chef with national rep. Won Food & Wine mag best chef award in 2010, was a James Beard nominee. No way this was a deliberate snub. They just had no seats.
How do you pretend to know that? And what does a national reputation as a chef have to do with whether or not the manager (unlikely that the chef was directly involved in any case) wanted to look good to his/her restaurant full of home town people.
I am not saying that there was a deliberate snub. But likewise, you have no basis saying that there was not. The unfortunate early tweet in response to the question "confirm or deny that he was turned away" was met with the tweet "We don't bluff", which is a very different message than "We can't make room for anyone".
tony parker was definitely snubbed.. Ive eaten at that restaurant and theres WAY MORE than 13 tables.. its practically as big as an applebees or chilis.. booths, tables, outdoor patio, etc. DAMN I hope Tony uses this as fuel to decimate the Grizz tonight.
EVAY, you're just making yourself look bad. Stop.
They've released a damn statement:
""At Restaurant Iris we pride ourselves on the service we provide to our guests. From the moment you make a reservation, to when you walk out of our door, it’s our job to ensure you experience both incredible food and service.
"That experience begins with a reservation. Due to the size of our restaurant, there is currently a two week delay for a weekend reservation. We would not cancel a reservation that a guest made-and waited two weeks for — in order to make room for someone else without a reservation — celebrity or not. We respect our guests and their time, and appreciate their choice to dine with us."
On Saturday, the restaurant posted the following explanation of its position:
At Restaurant Iris we pride ourselves on the service we provide to our guests. From the moment you make a reservation, to when you walk out of our door, it's our job to ensure you experience both incredible food and service.
That experience begins with a reservation. Due to the size of our restaurant, there is currently a two week delay for a weekend reservation. We would not cancel a reservation that a guest made-and waited two weeks for- in order to make room for someone else without a reservation- celebrity or not. We respect our guests and their time, and appreciate their choice to dine with us.
We are fiercely loyal to our guests and our city. Memphis has been good to us and we will always be faithful to her. We are proud to be a part of Grizz nation and are excited to cheer on our team tonight.
#gritgrind
via Regarding Reservations at Restaurant Iris | Restaurant Iris.
At Saturday's shootaround, Parker predictably didn't make a big deal out of it, just saying he usually gets room service and avoiding the issue. It wasn't a superstar demanding a table and pulling the "Do you know who I am?" card. He came by with some friends after getting in Friday night, asked for a table, was denied because the restaurant literally doesn't have enough to seat him, and he went back to his hotel room.
:hungry:
That's alright, he won't be in Memphis long.
Tony Parker:
"Je n’étais même pas au courant. C’est en arrivant samedi matin à l’entraînement que j’ai appris la nouvelle. Je me suis fait charrier par mes coéquipiers alors que je suis resté tranquillement dans ma chambre pour diner. C’est tout simplement un restaurateur de Memphis qui a réussi à se faire de la promo sur mon nom."
"I wasn't even aware of it. I heard about this when I arrived for practice on Saturday morning. My teammates joked around but I had just stayed in my room for dinner. It's simply a Memphis restaurant that managed to promote itself on my name."
We don't bluff :blah
:lolQuote:
It's simply a Memphis restaurant that managed to promote itself on my name."
So this Kelly (bitch name) English made all that shit up? That's hilarious
Bluff that sucka
Spurs guard Tony Parker denies he was denied service by famed Memphis restaurant
35 minutes ago..
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A local chef claims he denied service to Tony Parker on Friday night because the San Antonio Spurs point guard didn't have a reservation. Parker says that would have been impossible – because he says he never went to the chef's restaurant.
Tony Parker and the Spurs will try to close out the Grizzlies in Game 4 on Monday in Memphis. (AP)The culinary tiff began the night before Game 3 of the Western Conference finals when renowned Memphis chef Kelly English confirmed a Twitter user's question asking if Parker tried to eat dinner at English's Restaurant Iris that evening and was "denied service."
English, a Grizzlies fan who has the team's "Grit, Grind" slogan written on his arm in his Twitter profile photo, then explained the decision in a subsequent tweet, saying Parker wasn't given a table at the restaurant because he didn't have a reservation.
Parker, however, said he ate room service dinner from his hotel while watching the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers play Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals that night. Parker said he never even left his hotel room.
"I don't know what is going on with that, man," Parker said before the Spurs' practice on Sunday. "I did not do that. Can you stop doing promos? Is that a new way of doing promos? That's a new way of doing promotion now, using my name? I did not do that."
Parker is averaging 20.3 points and 10.7 assists in the West finals. (USA Today Sports)Parker said he first learned of the story Saturday morning. He also said he rarely eats at restaurants while on the road with the Spurs out of fear that an opposing fan in the kitchen might do something to his order.
Ironically, it was a room-service order of crème brûlée from an upscale Dallas hotel that gave Parker food poisoning before Game 6 of the 2003 West finals. That incident also led to one of the greatest shooting performances in Spurs' history.
With the Spurs trying to close out the Dallas Mavericks, Parker tried to play, but missed all five of his shots and lacked any energy. The Mavericks took a 15-point lead and were well on their way to forcing a decisive Game 7 until Spurs coach Gregg Popovich decided to replace Parker with Steve Kerr in the fourth quarter.
Kerr, who had seldom played, made four 3-pointers, three in a stunning 23-0 run by the Spurs that sent them past the Mavericks and onto the NBA Finals, where Parker won the first of his three championships.
Now leading the Grizzlies 3-0, Parker and the Spurs can return to the Finals with one more victory. Restaurant Iris is closed on Sundays, but Parker didn't sound eager to book a reservation anyway. And he remained adamant he didn't try to eat there Friday.
"I stayed in my hotel room, never called or anything," Parker said. "…I don't know why you [media] keep fueling that. I guess he's going to have a lot of people now going to his restaurant because you guys keep talking about it. It's a great way to promote it with a fake reservation."
========================
So it seems this was a totally made up story! Pretty lame!
LOL @ Tony Parker, a french who accepts eating french cuisine from anyone who isn't even a french chief. Usually, the frenchies are so snob at the point of only eating french food made by french chefs.
:lol tp shitting on d bullshit chef. Business must b bad : lmao
Is everyone in Memphis a flaming lying douchebag? Seems like a city full of Tony Allens tbh
1:12 mark
http://www.nba.com/spurs/video/2013/...kermp4-2488545
TP is dumbfounded that the story has gotten so much play, as he wasn't even at the restaurant in question and was in his room the whole time. Shameless promotion tactics by that restaurant owner. Internet troll type tactics tbh.
Come on Memphis. Act like you've been there before...
well he did tweet "we don't bluff" right after.
master troll tbh.
Kelly English is an asshole:lol