A COMPANY has defended itself after a woman claimed she was removed from a restaurant for writing a scathing online review.

Katie Swarbrick, 18, from Urswick, claims she was forcibly removed and then issued a ban from the Rioja Restaurant on Market Street, Ulverston for voicing her concerns over the establishment’s poor service.

She said: “I went out on Thursday night to Rioja and was waiting at the bar for over an hour and the bar staff served their friends before anyone else who was waiting.

“After an hour I gave up and went to The Sun. Later on I went back to Rioja and waiting for another 30 minutes then eventually gave up.

“I wrote a status on Facebook about how the service was appalling because I was quite angry that in all that time I was waiting I didn’t get served even one drink.

“I went back to Rioja on Sunday and as I walked up to the bar, all the staff stared at me and the bouncer escorted me off the premises.

“Because I complained about their customer service on Thursday I’m now banned from the bar and they won’t serve my friends.

“I was definitely not rude to the staff and did not shout at them. I even wrote an email to the restaurant and did not hear a reply.”

Company bosses, however, deny this claim, saying that Miss Swarbrick was removed due to her rude behaviour towards staff.

A spokesman from Rioja said: “Customers are not going to get served if they are rude to staff which is the same for everybody.

“If she had behaved in the right manner, we wouldn’t have had this issue.

“Nobody said the complaining customer was banned.

“We were expecting her to come in and apologise following her behaviour and we could’ve resolved the issue.

“It just shouldn’t be acceptable really.”

The company operate a zero tolerance policy towards staff harassment which can result in temporary or permanent exclusion.

Miss Swarbrick said herself and numerous friends will no longer be visiting the restaurant in the wake of the incident.