Taiwan CEO claims restaurant spilled 2 to 3 drops of wine on Hermès handbag, restaurant says she wanted S$37,294 in compensation & refused

A Taiwanese businesswoman and influencer's visit to a restaurant has turned sour over a dispute regarding a stained handbag.

According to a series of posts by Anni Miao — the CEO of a cosmetics and health foods wholesaler — on Facebook, the incident took place in May this year, when Miao was dining at Ushigoro S Taiwan.

A stained white crocodile leather bag

During the meal, Miao alleged that staff accidentally spilled two or three drops of wine on her Hermès Kelly To Go, a handbag made from white crocodile leather.

Miao said that the restaurant's manager then told her that they would take full responsibility for the bag. Trusting the manager, Miao subsequently paid the NT$40,000 (S$1,605) bill for the meal and left the restaurant without causing a fuss.

After sending the bag to the Hermès store she had purchased it from, Miao learned it would have to be sent back to France and that the stain could not be fully removed.

Miao alleged that in the ensuing months, her discussions with the restaurant over the stained bag came to naught, with no concrete follow-up on how they could compensate her for her damaged item.

By October, Miao said that her attempts to communicate with the restaurant were either ignored or deflected.

She said if the restaurant did not respond, she would have no choice but to take the legal route.

S$37,000 in compensation

In response, Fujin Tree Catering Group — the restaurant's parent company — issued its own statement on Facebook, disputing Miao's account of events.

The hospitality group claimed that Miao only brought the stain to staff's attention when paying the bill, not at the time of the alleged spill.

Furthermore, Miao apparently told staff that the spill had occurred while she was away from the table in the restroom, but they said CCTV footage of the private room that she had been eating in did not reflect this.

The company said that any apology and offer of assistance from staff at the time had been made out of good faith, and did not constitute an acknowledgment that the damage was caused by the restaurant's staff.

They further alleged that Miao demanded NT$930,000 (S$37,294) in compensation for the bag and associated purchase costs.

As they were unable to conclusively verify who was responsible for the stains on the bag, the company declined to compensate Miao.

They also said they were seeking legal advice on the matter.

Miao responds to the restaurant

Miao then responded to the hospitality group in a series of posts on Facebook, denying that she had demanded NT930,000 (S$37,294) in compensation and sharing screenshots from conversations between her and restaurant staff.

https://www.facebook.com/annimiao/posts/pfbid0cPh6AakjQQzj1n2EpgdkyvEa8fkPqFa2DLmA5ehMeJ8tbQFxAoxm2zFwW57c1BkTl

She expressed her disappointment that the restaurant had dithered in discussing the matter directly with her until her decision to go public with the matter.