Viral social-media spat between Boston chef and New York diner ignites death threats, regrets
A spat between a Boston chef with a history of making sizzling headlines and a dissatisfied LGBT activist from New York has whipped up a social media flame war that included death threats and the lingering bad taste of regret.
Jen Royle, the owner of TABLE, shut down and/or made private her personal and restaurant accounts on Friday, following a dust-up with a former reservation holder named Trevor Chauvin-DeCaro after he took his beef with her restaurant to social media.
"Wild story incoming. Last month, we had to cancel our Boston trip after I was hospitalized," Chauvin-DeCaro shared on X on Thursday.
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"As a result, I had to use travel insurance to get my money back on our hotel, train, and restaurant reservations. Today I got this message from @tableboston."
The post included screenshots of Royle’s response.
Chef Jen Royle is pictured in her restaurant Table on Aug. 29, 2019, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Chris Christo/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
"Hi Trevor. I own TABLE Restaurant in Boston," she began in the segments shared on X by Chauvin-DeCaro.
"I just wanted to personally thank you for screwing over my restaurant and my staff when you disputed your cancellation fee [of $250]. I really hope in the future you have more respect for restaurants, especially small businesses such as mine. Pathetic."
Chauvin-DeCaro then replied to Royle, sharing "disappointment and shock at the tone and content" of her outreach to him, according to the exchange.
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"My stomach turns with the gross decision to search for, find, and direct-message a customer like this," he wrote in hs response. "The decision to reach out to a customer with such a scolding and disparaging message is, frankly, astounding."
The exchange generated over 20 million views in the first 48 hours.
It also quickly turned ugly when death threats against both parties apparently resulted.
Trevor Chauvin-DeCaro of New York said he had regrets after his beef with Boston chef Jen Royle led to death threats for them both. (Screenshot of Trevor Chauvin-DeCaro post on X)
Chauvin-DeCaro appeared to suffer social-media regret amid the fallout.
"I do not condone the onslaught of reviews, harassment and certainly not death threats," he posted over the weekend.
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"I, too, am getting them and wish that on no one," he also wrote.
"I am shocked to learn that Jen is also receiving death threats. I do not feel that way and reject these actions."
Chef Jen Royle (far left), along with Pedro Martinez and Carolina Martinez, attend the Pedro Martinez Charity Feast With 45 at Fenway Park on June 29, 2018, in Boston. (Paul Marotta/Getty Images for Pedro Martinez Charity)
The exchange led to debate about customer-and-small-business ethics while also presenting warnings about the power of celebrity and being outspoken in the digital age.
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Royle is a well-known figure in the Boston food and media scenes.
She once covered the New York Yankees for the YES Network and appeared as a contestant on "The Taste" on ABC and "Beat Bobby Flay" on the Food Network.
"Royle’s hair looks pretty fabulous when the former sportscaster with a megawatt smile and striking blue eyes storms out her bedroom in strappy high heels that Wonder Woman might wear down the runway," Boston Magazine enthused in a 2021 profile.
"I do not condone the onslaught of reviews, harassment and certainly not death threats."
Her upscale restaurant in Boston's North End, an Old World-style Italian neighborhood famed for its dining scene, seats only 32 people and has several no-nonsense policies.
"We do not accommodate vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, gluten-free or dairy-free guests," the TABLE website states.
The restaurant's site also says that "there are absolutely no exceptions to our cancellation policy."
It notes, "We are a very small restaurant. Please be considerate."
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The restaurant has received a number of distinctions.
It was named a "top 50 restaurant in Boston" by Boston Magazine in 2021 and 2022, among other notices.
Fox News Digital attempted to reach Chauvin-DeCaro via social media, as well as chef Jen Royle through the restaurant's website.
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