*The owner of a top Beverly Hills restaurant has is defending her staff’s decision not to seat Diana Ross when she arrived for lunch last week.
The Motown legend showed up for lunch at La Scala on Thursday (Jan. 3), and asked to be seated by the hostess while she waited for one of her daughters to arrive.
But, the hostess refused because the venue has a strict policy of not seating incomplete parties unless they have a reservation.
Ross reportedly grew irate, ignored the hostess and seated herself – only to be told by the manager that she would not be served if she remained. The singer then stormed out.
Now owner Gigi Leon has spoken out to explain the incident, telling the New York Post, “I’m sorry that Miss Ross had a problem with that and she feels that the rules didn’t apply to her.
“Our policy is that we don’t sit incomplete parties. If people jump the line, our policy is we don’t serve them, and she was told that. We treat everyone the same whether you’re famous or not. We love having her as a customer. We’d be happy to have her back.
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HATS OFF TO THE HOSTESS AND THE MANAGER. This whore walks around like the world revolves around her and got pissed off because no one catered to her crazy ass. Can’t stand Diana Ross. Anybody that will screw their way to top and then look down on others, shouldn’t be treated with any ounce of respect. F’ HER
Stephanie, you’re going in a little hard on Ms. Ross aren’t you? If she didn’t screw YOUR man or steal YOUR money, why are you so upset. Take a minute – breathe in…breathe out…breathe in…breathe out…
Wow Stephanie, I was with you in the words you said in caps; but then to call her a “whore”? You took “hater” in a whole different direction. You are obviously a very bitter person who doesn’t even have respect for yourself. Whore? You have GOT to be kidding me. You need help. Bad!
I TOTALLY co-sign.
Well thank God it wasn’t Mary screwin’ Berry, because then we all would have been SCREWED, you dumb ass.
This was a really DUMB move by the restaurant manager! This is the WRONG way to run your restaurant!
Seating celebrity customers first… is done daily! It is good business. What would it cost to seat her? She is older… she is an ICON.
These crappy people would have tripped over themselves to seat Kim K. They would not care how long it took for her party to arrive!
Restaurant Manager is dumb , dumb , dumb. What’s the big freakin’ deal to have someone sit and wait for their party to arrive? Diana probably drops $300 to $500 on a meal at a restaurant – no problem. That’s like $40.00 to her.
Even Mimi’s Cafe will let you sit down and wait for the rest of your party to arrive while you order drinks or whatever. I just recently did this.
I think the policy is dumb and the article didn’t mention if the restaurant was busy. But would it have caused that much harm for them to seat her? My goodness!..but they could have at least suggested she sit at the bar until her daughter arrived.
So true. After explaining the seating policy the hostess should have followed Dianna to where she wanted to sit and placed a glass of unsweetened tea on her table and offered to comp her meal. He knew who she was, she the lady who slept her eat to the top while ruining the lives of the Supremes.
Ruining the lives of The Supremes? Because of Diana, the trajectory of the Supremes was changed for the better – Get your delusional head out of the sand. And what the hell are you talking about anyhow? Mary is worth $10Million. She can’t even sing, and she makes a luxury living as a singer. And what singing she has ever been able to do was for the most part jarring and unpleasant
RULEZ-IZ-RULEZ . . . .baby girl does it here in CT, she had a DUI and served her time at home.
Diana Ross is 68. She had a broken ankle during the first week of December.
I just think this was something that they could handled better!
I went and looked at reviews for this restaurant… service complaints, rude wait staff, restaurant that is full of itself. Perhaps it was “THE” restaurant at one time. If they treat guests in this manner another restaurant can come along and take their FORMER customers.
She broke her ankle the first week of NOVEMBER.
I think it was a missed opportunity. How much more money could they have made if people know that the likes of Diana Ross frequent there? It is what it is…
Lady_Elle hit the nail on the head! If it was Kim K or that Gaga thing, they would’ve been slobbering over here. Diana Ross is the BOSS and contrary to the hater Stephanie’s rude comments, the Boss earned her stripes with her talent. She just performed for the President and some snotty restaurant can’t seat her? Give me a break.
I didn’t know that celebrities operated by a different set of rules than the rest of us. How fair would that be? As to them seating Kim K., that’s just your opinion and has nothing to do with facts.
Yeah, she earned her stripes on her knees doing another woman’s husband only to get pregnant and pass the child off as her white husband’s so why must I be a hater at facts. She was married and so was Berry…and you want to call her the Boss…she screwed her way to the top and then dogged the other Supremes who wouldn’t suck Berry’s dick or lick his ass but hey, Hoes gotta eat too…
“She earned her stripes on her knees” Okay, but was the bitch wearing knee pads?
AGAIN STEPHANIE: None of The Supremes were paragons of virtue. Flo Ballard slept with 2 Temptations while 1 or both were married. Mary “Mattress” Wilson slept with members of The Temptations, Four Tops, Contours, Spinners as well as Tom Jones, Flip Wilson and Neil Bogart while trying to get a record deal. Most of these men were married at the time of penetration. . She tried to break up Tom Jones’ marriage and cdestroyed their happiness then got married but still kept sucking Flip Wilsons dick, got caught and got her ass kicked good for it. Mary had abortions in the fall of ’1968 and Spring of ’71 (Tom Jones’.) Diana Ross got around also, but the difference is she is a beloved international icon for 50 years while no one has any use for the other two.
HOW ABOUT LOOKING AT IT THROUGH THE LENS OF TIME STEPH. SHE LIVED IN A
TIME WHERE MEN RAN EVERYTHING FOR REAL. AND IF YOU DIDNT DO WHAT THEY SAID THE ONLY SINGING YOU DID WAS IN THE FOOD STAMP LINE. THATS FACT. SHIRLEY TIMPLE WAS FORCED TO HAVE SEX AS A CHILD TO KEEP HER JOB ADN SHE WAS A WHITE 8YR. OLDWHAT CHANCE DID A BLCK GIRL FROM THE GHETTO HAVE. LOVE NOT HATE TRUTH NOT LIES
I always laugh when people try to dismiss Diana as a whore and think that is her whole reason for success for 50 years. Really now? If she hadn’t been producing the hits or bringing in the concert revenue, Berry would have dropped her like a hot rock. He’s a shrewd businessman.
She’s sold almost 200 million records and for 50 years has had sold out concerts around the world, has been a top tv show personality and movie star. She has numerous accolades to her credit. Yeah, have you heard Mary sing solo? Puhleeez.
I think the problem with Diana is that she’s always come across as somewhat vain. And people don’t like confidence for some reason.
I thought about this to, yah know, if it was Oprah! ———–, if mike was alive, Michael Jordan, lebron, Kobe, its common sense, another human being, this is lady sing the blues she’s historical, I would ha e personally walked her graciously to the bar, drink on the house, hell, I would have proudly engaged in a conversation until her daughter arrived, and when she came, would have tried to keep talking, respect those people who rode those waves, whether they look like you or not, next time Ms. Ross fly to Atlanta and eat @ Gladys knights place, hell go to St Louis and eat @ sweetie pies, I bet you get royal treatment, that’s why we need more black owned safety’s, we know how to respect trailblazers!
On the other hand rules are rules,and what you see now as far as so called stars, some of them ,I wouldn’t want them near or in my place! So whatever, personally I’m trying to get to know those around me better, these stars? Are not so substantial, I respect those people who went beyond the red carpet
It’s simple folk – rules are rules. Celebrities should not get special treatment and they are not above the law or the rules. If Ms. Ross was caught with a bag of cocaine in her car, she should be handcuffed and booked like everybody else.
Rules are rules? La Scala’s seating policy is one of the dumbest I’ve ever heard. You just don’t run a restaurant that way, especially if it’s one in Beverly Hills- Los Angeles
I think all you starstruck folk didn’t read the headline (The owner of a top Beverly Hills restaurant)
Keywords here Owner Top Beverly Hills, so what this means is first of all to eat at that restaurant you need dough which means the majority of his customers have money so in his establishment she is just another face. Now if this was Papa Joes chicken n ribs then yes.
LOL
Hey retard. Diana has plenty of dough. She could buy you and your family dumb ass.
Sometimes businesses like La Scala may have ridiculous policies in place where we may, or may not like and agree with. So if the venue has a strict policy of not seating incomplete parties unless they have a reservation, then really it is what it is. Maybe Ms. Ross was not aware of the policy, but for sure La Scala is NOT the only top restaurant in Beverly Hills. Apparently this upscaled eatery was not going to make any exception for Diana as they sent a very strong message to her & others. It showed that they did not need, or want her money / business, and elected to snub her all together. Can you imagine a restaurant like this treating Barbra Striesand in the same manner?
Stephanie is pretty much well correct regarding Diana Ross who tends to come across as uppity,rude and arrogant. I understand others may not like, or agree with how her statement is worded. Back in the day it was no secret about Diana being promiscuous with men married or single. She had affairs with men that were well known like Smokey Robinson, Berry Gordy, Ryan O’Neal, Gene Simmons, Warren Beatty, and Rob Silberstein etc. She slept with BG and you can best believe he took care of Diana during those days. She was basically his top selling female artist on his payroll then.
It was said much of the 70s career Diana had was supported by Berry and Motown. During the 60s she brought in tons of money, but the 1970s were very different.
Do you think Diana Ross with her brown teeth is still a diva at 68 years old, or not?
Why we insulting Diana Ross? I don’t get that part… *smh*
I have nothing to do with we, but I also have no problems accepting favorable, or less favorable remarks regarding Diana Ross. In addition to that I understand that others have every bit of right here to express whatever they want, or something that totally differs. I’m no fan of the “Boss”, and do not view that as an area of concern either.
looks to me like the restaurant ought notta done this. yelp is blowing up with posters not planning to eat there after this episode. i think they woulda been better off seating her rather than have social media jabbing at them and referring to them as “the place that wouldnt seat diana ross”….i woulda sat her and been done with it. chalked it up as free advertisement for my establishment, maybe taken a picture with her and hung it at the entrance.
Berry Gordy’s late sister, Esther, use to say to the charges at Motown during its heyday that ‘manners will take you places that money cannot’. Apparently, all that artist development and John Powers Modelling school training that Diana Ross got went down the drain. What does being an icon have to do with piss poor manners? Throwing a tantrum at the age of 68 because she couldn’t get what she wanted? If Ms Ross was younger and acted like that, we’d tear them a new a-hole. As an ‘icon’, she should set an example. Why should the rules be changed because of her? Better yet, she can hire her own chef. It’s one thing to be uppity but quite another to be rude and disrespectful. Really, no excuse for that!
While I haven’t seated myself when there is a policy against doing such. I in fact HAVE seated myself when I felt I was not being treated fairly. It wasn’t a tantrum..I just satt down and waited to be serviced.
It’s likely that the author/restuarants version of events mirrors a bit of the exaggeration you employ here. Her deciding to ignore the host and seat herself and then leave when confronted can easily be caricatured as a TANTRUM when it really might not have been. Reminds of the the “rumor” of the tantrum Oprah allegedly threw when she wasn’t allowed into the Hermes store.
The restaurant owner did himself no favors here and while he’s “sticking it to a celebrity”..we’re talking about a seating policy…a very insignificant thing to allow to blow up. Any good restauranteur knows this and make provisions for “high-value” clients all the time.
agreed, albeit reluctantly cause u a little bytch. but im a big enough man to put that aside when u make a valid point.
A diva is a diva, right?.. was Miss Ross- RIGHT? Nope, Rules are the rules.., the waiter could have suggested to seat Diana in the bar area until her daughter arrived..
Stephanie Y U hatin on diana? and even if what has been rumored about Diana BACK IN THE DAY is remotely true?..AND how long ago was this-DECADES AGO. Why is Stephanie carrying such venom? Diana hasn’t demonstrated anything different-(If true) than any other female of said position in hollywood, however, Halle Berry has Diana beat actually.. Halle.has messed around with a many married men and other female’s boyfriends in hollywood .. Halle has no hollywood girlfriends rumored upon reputation..
I stated she had a ‘tantrum’ because in the article it stated that she ‘grew irate’. In my mind, I interpret that is on the verge of having a hissy fit/tantrum. Frankly, this is one ‘rumor’ I believe because Ms. Ross has a history of not being a ‘nice person’ to begin with and even Ross conceded herself that people in, this case ‘hollyweird’, refuse to work with her because of her attitude. So I believe the article. Now, it is not that deep to me to sit down in a resturant where my money is not wanted in order to prove a point. I take my business somewhere else where I am treated with respect. Perhaps, if Ms. Ross, seeing the treatment she got, had simply call her daughter to let her know that she would prefer to go somewhere else because of said policy, this mess could’ve been avoided. But black folks always gotta make a point at yt’s establishment. If this eatery had a history of treating people like it did Ross, then I can see where you are coming from. But it seems like this is the first time that they encountered something like this so it seems to me that the problem lies with Ross, not the establishment.
Why does it hafta to be a black thing? You’re talking about a seating policy that is as inconsistent as Seattle weather. The fact is, restuarants make special provisions all the time. This guy didn’t see the need for Diana..it doesn’t go much further than that.
I can assure you, President Obama would’ve been seated w/o a party. The policy is selective which is why I don’t get the Diana hate.
>musbdherbs I totally agree!
Me too, Lady_Elle. This establishment is in the entertainment capital of the world. These restaurants are used to celebrity clients and usually go out of their way to give them special treatment by generally seating them without reservations and placing them in private or secluded dining areas. Yes rules are rules. But, there are always exceptions. And restaurants and nightclubs in Hollywood thrive on celebrity patronage, so I don’t understand why the restaurant took it this far.
The key word here is ‘Beverly Hills’. Do you actually think these folks are begging for business? These people cater to a certain clientele, which is probably wealthy folks. They don’t need ‘publicity’ because they already have their targeted clients which is people with money. What does having Ross as a customer supposed to do for their already successful business? No matter ‘dumb’ or ‘stupid’ think their policies are, they are put there for a reason. Perhaps to keep people who don’t aren’t ‘stinking’ in money out! Another thing, not every business gear towards wealthy people want ‘notoriety’ as there are rich people who shun publicity and value their privacy. I never heard of this restaurant before. Have you?
And how do you know the policy is ‘selective’?
The last time I checked, Ross was black, which is why I made that statement. There is bigger fish to fry. Taking a seat at a restaurant after you have been told about it’s policy about seating parties together, sounds like somebody trying to make a statement of some sort. I don’t know Diana Ross ‘to hate’ her so that’s kinda silly to say that.
There are some exclusive restaurants where you can not just pop up at without reservation and expect to be seated and served. No mentioning of Ms. Ross asking hostess to review such policy in writing, or if its actually in place or not. The restaurant probably could have accommodated her last minute request, but chose not to do so. It’s no secret that the Boss still have an arrogant, rude , and uppity type character. She’s too damn old to be throwing some damn hissy fit
The way I read this story a 68 year old customer wanted to sit down while waiting for her party. It doesn’t seem like it should matter who the 68 year old is. Good customer service or even just plain common courtesy would inform someone to accomodate the customer. Same for a preganant customer or someone with a disability. It boggles my mind that a customer–someone who chose YOUR restaurant out of all restuarants in the area, someone responsible for your paycheck–was denied a seat. The “no incomplete parties seated” policy is the DUMBEST policy ever anyway, and this situation only crystallizes that. How many times do you have dinner plans and EVERYONE arrives at the same time? Almost never. The idiotic owner just signed his/her own proverbial death certificate with this move and the subsequent follow-up response. Buh-bye silly person.
I hope you’re right about the “proverbial death certificate,” because I LOVE Diana Ross (no matter WHOSE husband she screwed and WHOSE child she gave birth to), and it makes me sad to see things like this in the news about her. She has been through enough and, IMO, has paid for the mistakes she has made. She is a great lady, and this is NOT the first time she has been treated like crap. I’m sure it happened to her on the regular when she was young.
This is just me. I hate going to these restaurants. I know these people couldn’t care less about serving a black person. If it was up to me alone, I would never let any of these none black establishments have my money. But sometimes, you got to go along to get along.
I’m glad that Diana stormed out.
But they say all publicity is good publicity. So they may end up cashing in on their misdeeds.
I don’t think people are sympathetic with her due to all the negative press that has been written about her and demanding ways. The Supremes reunion also didn’t win her any fans, especially when it was reported she was going to receive more MONEY than the other members. If this is the policy of the restaurant, things shouldn’t be altered because she’s celebrity, but then again, like someone posted; if this was Kim K. or some other non-talented hack, the restaurant would have relented! Diana is an Icon and she did paved the way for a lot of talented singers, black or otherwise!
Stephanie: You are one crazed bitch, gurrlfriend! No one screws their way to the top of the music business – do you buy music based on a total stranger’s orgasm? NO, you do NOT – cuz if you do, you are even crazier than your letter suggests. Don’t like Diana Ross? Cool. Act a fool about it? You crazy! Your crazy ass is the reason these stars need security. No one sells 150 MILLION records around the world cuz of head she gave back in the day! Bitch, you got some anger issues that need serious attention!!!!!!!!!!!!
Come to think of it, the restaurant probably didn’t even know who she was. She looks very different without tons of make-up and hair done just right or without a glittery gown