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Australia’s most esteemed food critic has come under fire for a rude comment about a restaurant worker ‘leaning over’ in revealing attire.
John Lethlean, famous for criticizing social media influencers, wrote a review of Perth’s Shui restaurant for the popular food magazine Delicious, which has since been removed from the website.
But a post from Mr Lethlean’s own Instagram feed promoting his article has been widely shared and provides an indication as to why the review suddenly disappeared.
“And the maitre d’/meet and Greter wears an outfit that threatens to expose more than just her inexperience as she leans over to set a table,” Lethlean wrote in the post earlier this week.
Legendary Perth chef Colin Wood, who has worked with some of the best culinary names in the world, led the backlash against Lethlean and Delicious with a scathing post.
The highly regarded food critic John Lethlean has come under fire for a review in which he made comments about a waitress’s attire and her “leaning”.
Mr Lethlean (left) said Delicious asked him to delete his Instagram post promoting his review of Shui.
“How this rude “review” got printed after multiple eyes on it, appearing online on Delicious and here before being removed without an acknowledgment, consequence or apology it’s more cooked than some of the steaks you’ve grilled,” Wood wrote while sharing a photo of Lethlean saying ‘It’s time for a change.’
Food author Dani Valent, among others, admonished the online reviewer for his crude depiction of Shui’s staffer.
“This is sexist, disrespectful and perverted,” Valent wrote, while food writer Lee Tran Lam and chef Shannon Martinez joined the chorus of online criticism.
Mr Lethlean, a leading voice in the industry for more than 20 years, told The Sydney Morning Herald that the publisher asked him to remove the Instagram post.
After the removal, Instagram users went after Lethlean on her other posts, including one in which she was enjoying a vacation in Canada, to take issue with her creepy comments about the restaurant employee.
“I’m pretty sure you can write an apology from Calgary and also do some reading on how not to be misogynistic,” one wrote.
‘You are in an industry where women are already subjected to sexual harassment and assault all the time. Look in the mirror and check it out,” said another.
Women in hospitality and women everywhere deserve an apology.
Elsewhere on social media, others called Lethlean’s comments “disgusting.”
‘I’ve never seen anyone broken like they were on Insta. I can’t believe someone posted that,” read one comment.
‘Oh yeah! He could have sworn he retired but apparently he can’t stay away,” said another.
Mr. Lethlean has been known to criticize social media influencers in the past.
Legendary Perth chef Colin Wood, who has worked with some of the world’s best culinary names, took aim at Lethlean (pictured) and Delicious in a scathing post.
Mr Lethlean had until last year been a food writer and restaurant critic for The Australian, where he wrote a popular column in The Weekend Australian magazine.
In 2018, he famously launched the hashtag ‘CouscousForComment’ to call out social media influencers for searching for free meals in exchange for recommending restaurants to his followers.
One case involved Dean Wells of Married At First Sight, after a ‘leaked’ email allegedly revealed Dean’s attempt to get a free meal at a Melbourne restaurant.
Food author Dani Valent (right) was among those who admonished the online reviewer for his crude depiction of Shui’s staffer.
The embarrassing email, which appeared to have been sent by a representative on Dean’s behalf, was posted to Instagram by Mr. Lethlean.
‘I hope this finds you well. Just wanted to get in touch with our client, Married At First Sight star Dean Wells, who is looking to wine and dine in the city of Melbourne on August 18,” the email said.
“I thought this might be a good opportunity for them to come to his restaurant, as Dean has over 80,000 followers on Instagram. In exchange for taking care of the two of them on this special occasion, we can offer social media posts and mentions.” .
Mr. Lethlean captioned his post at the time: ‘Grasping At First Sight, a new reality series. Please consider #CouscousForComments.’
Asked for comment, Mr Lethlean said: “I don’t recognize the legitimacy of The Daily Mail Australia.”
The comment came just months after Mr Lethlean posted a comment about his “love” for the publication, following an article about his departure from The Australian.
‘Don’t you love @dailymailaustralia?’ she wrote in September.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Delicious and Shui restaurant for comment.