A family was left “disgusted” after a waiter labelled them “depressed f***s” on their receipt during a wake.
Hannah Pharoah’s family had gathered at a Dorset coffee shop after the funeral of her father, Steve, who died in January aged 67.
Around 30 mourners attended the gathering, which included tapas and drinks.
The offensive label was discovered the following day when Hannah examined the receipt her mother had tucked away in her purse without checking.
Ms Pharoah branded the 17-year-old waiter’s behaviour “disgusting” and called the receipt message a “sick joke”.
The cafe has since issued several apologies – and confirmed “disciplinary action” had been taken.
The offensive label was discovered the following day when Hannah examined the receipt her mother had tucked away in her purse (file photo)
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“I found the whole thing disgusting,” she said. “We were a grieving family at a wake for our father and this sick joke has made things even worse. We are beyond angry.”
Ms Pharoah, 34, a personal trainer, showed her widowed mother the receipt before contacting the café to complain.
“There were about 30 people there dressed in black and there were orders of service around. They knew it was a wake,” she said.
“To mock our grief and my father’s death in that way is beyond unprofessional, it is cruel, arrogant and heartless,” she added.
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The family reported that staff appeared keen to usher them out from early in the event.
Employees allegedly removed glasses that were still being used and cleared plates before guests had finished eating.
“They were rude, disinterested and visibly eager to hurry us along, as though our gathering was an inconvenience,” Ms Pharoah said.
“There was no warmth, no professionalism and certainly no compassion, something you would expect as a bare minimum when hosting a wake.”
The mourners felt they were being treated as a burden so the venue could reopen to regular customers.
When the family initially complained, co-owner Matthew McCaurtie attributed the message to another staff member and described it as a joke.
The situation worsened after the family shared their experience online, prompting someone connected to the business to message Ms Pharoah directly, calling her a “s***y human being”.
Fellow co-owner Sahil Dalvi confirmed an internal review had found the complaint to be valid.
“I want to offer my sincere apologies to the family affected,” he said. “The circumstances in which this occurred make it even more upsetting and I’m truly sorry.”
The employee responsible has been suspended and the family received a complete refund.
