A Pop Star Walked Into a Mayfair Restaurant Called Sexy Fish Wearing a Hoody

Pop star Jess Glynne has caused a Twitter storm after describing her refused entry to swanky Mayfair restaurant Sexy Fish as “discrimination.”

Glynne posted the details of her knock-back on Instagram last night, with a photo of the outfit the door people at the Caprice Holdings-owned restaurant deemed in contravention of the dress code: a cap, grey hoody, tracksuit bottoms, and trainers.

Per the Sexy Fish website, the dress code, not uncommon in Mayfair restaurants, is defined as “smart casual.”

We request that guests do not wear sportswear, beachwear. ripped jeans, flip flops, sliders or workout trainers (smarter, fashion trainers may be permitted).

“Smarter, fashion trainers,” perhaps like these hybrid clodhoppers, “may be permitted.”

“Dear @sexyfishlondon I turned up to your restaurant looking like this and you looked me and my friend up and down and said no you can’t come in and your restaurant was EMPTY,” Glynne wrote.

Fortunately for Glynne, who was out making the most of the lockdown lift, Amazonico is a mere 30 seconds walk from Sexy Fish and offers a similarly overpriced Mayfair restaurant experience with an almost identical dress code, which it presumably decided not to enforce. Glynne noted the second restaurant greeted her and her friend with “pure joy”, that the pair had “a banging meal with wicked service.”

Glynne has asked Sexy Fish to “please check yourself if this is how you treat people cause it’s rude, off putting, embarrassing and most definitely not inviting.” She claims she and her friend were not only made to wait, but were also inspected by two members of staff, who ultimately ruled their attire unsuitable for entry. The decision was made “based on their appearance,” which is usually how dress codes work.

“I think the attitude of your staff needs to change as that was pure discrimination,” Glynne claimed. It has been correctly pointed out that the use of the word “discrimination” at a time when actual discrimination is being called out and protested against is silly and ignorant.

While the restaurant itself has not reacted to the story (if it did, it would probably just point to its publicly published dress code), the internet most certainly has. Here’s some of the more eye-catching from Twitter this morning.

One said that someone needs to point out to the pop star that refused entry from a restaurant when wearing a hoody is not discrimination.

Others pointed out the privilege of even going to a restaurant for “£300 sushi in Mayfair.”

Others asked Glynne “what did u expect”, that the restaurant was not called “casual rat.” Ouch.

Others have claimed Sexy Fish’s decision was “classist”. This tweet deals with that take.