- Diner vents his frustration after arriving at a restaurant, only to be turned away
- Matt Hey and his friends found a restaurant on Google, listed to close at 10pm
- But when they arrived at 8.45pm, the group was told kitchen was already closed
A diner has vented his frustration after arriving at a restaurant, only to be told the kitchen had already shut an hour-and-a-half before the scheduled closing time.
Matt Hey, from Sydney, and his friends decided to go for a bite at a restaurant after enjoying a night out at the movies.
He found a restaurant down the road, about a 15-minute walk away, that was listed to close at 10pm, according to Google.
But when the group of five arrived at 8.45pm, a waitress turned them away because the kitchen was already closed.
Matt, who had previously worked in hospitality, knew he couldn't take his anger out on the employee - but deep down, he was seething.
'Let me tell you, on the inside, I was shaking, I was burning up, I was having hot flushes,' Matt said in his video.
'The Karen was sitting right here in my throat, ready, ready to attack. I really had to restrain myself and I'm glad I did. But if you'd had it on your Google listing, it wouldn't have been a problem so let's sort that out this year.'
Matt called on restaurant owners to update their Google listings to reflect the time the kitchen closes, rather than just the time the venue shuts.
Matt Hey has vented his frustration after arriving at a restaurant, only to be told the kitchen had already shut an hour-and-a-half before the scheduled closing time
'It's something we need to normalise in 2025,' Matt said.
Sharing his recent experience, the comedian, known by his stage name Alright Hey, explained how he found a restaurant still open late at night through Google.
'I went out for a movie the other night with my friends, it finished, we were like, "Let's go get a bite to eat". I find this restaurant, it looks great. It's a 15 minute walk away, it closes at 10pm, it's currently 8.30pm,' he recalled.
'I'm like, 'Come on girls, let's go. We could probably make it in 12 if we really tried. We get there, we're sweating, we're starving, we're ready to spend our hard earned money because we have just trekked it through Narnia to get here.
'It's 8.45pm... I go, "Can I get a table for five please?" She goes, 'Sorry, the kitchen closed at 8.30pm.
'Oh my god.'
Despite his fury at the employee's response, Matt explained why he chose not to cause a scene at the restaurant.
'I've worked in hospitality, she's not going to cop it,' he said.
'We went, "Alright love, no worries. Have a good night. See you".'
The group ended up going somewhere else to eat, but Matt said he was not impressed with the restaurant's unexpected early closing time.
Matt called on restaurant owners to update their Google listings to reflect the time the kitchen closes, rather than just the time the venue shuts (file image)
His video has been viewed more than 200,000 times, with many Aussies saying they couldn't agree more with him.
'Having the kitchen close an hour and a half the restaurant "closes" baffles me. And that’s coming from a server whose restaurant's kitchen doesn’t close until the last table is gone,' one said.
'I went to a pub/restaurant that closed at midnight, kitchen closed at 7PM - WHY,' another revealed.
'What in the world? I’ve worked in hospitality for about eight years and I’ve never worked for a restaurant that’s had a kitchen close at 8.30pm. 9.30 is the norm! Never heard of turning a table away at 8.30pm,' another shared.
'I’ve gone into places and they are like, "Sorry we’re closing early today, you should have called ahead". But your hours on your website say you’re open late so why would I call ahead?,' one added.
Meanwhile, some pointed out that restaurants often shut their kitchens early due to it being a 'quiet night'.
'It’s possible that because it was an incredibly quiet night, they closed up early. If no one was in the building there’s no point staying open,' one said.
'Kitchens close based on the day. If it's quiet they'll close. If you want them to stay open, book as soon as you find the restaurant,' another advised.
