Paris Peninsula staffer Maxime Mannevy admits the rooftop bar’s staff didn’t instantly recognize Serena Williams but underlined that the restaurant was fully booked and that the American tennis icon being told there were no empty tables was nothing personal.

On Monday, former 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams took a photo of a Paris restaurant and posted it on X and claimed that she and her kids were denied a table despite the place being “empty.”

Paris restaurant staffer shares interesting detail after Serena Williams accusation

“Yikes @peninsulaparis I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in a empty restaurant of nicer places but never with my kids. Always a first. #Olympic2024,” Williams wrote on X.Serena WilliamsSerena Williams© Getty Images Sport – Carl Recine

Since Williams has a huge following on social media, it wasn’t long before The Paris Peninsula started catching the heat and the majority of top international media reported about the American’s experience.

All of that prompted a response from the restaurant itself, who tried to respectfully explain to Williams they were “indeed fully booked.”

Now, a hotel staff member has shared more details.

“When she came there were only two tables available and they had been reserved by clients of the hotel. My colleague didn’t recognize her and feels terrible, but he told her what he would have told any other client, which is to wait downstairs in the bar for a table to become available. That was absolutely nothing personal,” Mannevy told Variety.

How The Peninsula Paris responded to Williams?

“Dear Mrs. Williams, Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight. Unfortunately, our rooftop bar was indeed fully booked and the only unoccupied tables you saw belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was fully reserved,” The Peninsula Paris said in a reply to Williams’ post on X.

However, that wasn’t all as the restaurant added a bit more in a follow-up post: “We have always been honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again. The Peninsula Paris.”

Meanwhile, Williams hasn’t made any comments on the matter since making her original post.