Driver who was offered free meal by Audi after garage damaged her car racks up £700 bill at top Covent Garden restaurant

 
Michelin-starred restaurant: Siobhan Yap, 27, spent more than £700 on a meal for two at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Covent Garden (Picture: Google StreetView)

A saleswoman who was offered a free meal by a car dealership that damaged her vehicle has defended running up a £714 bill at a Michelin-starred restaurant, saying it was a “once in a lifetime” occasion.

Watford Audi agreed to pay for a meal for two after Siobhan Yap’s £20,000 Audi A3 convertible was damaged on the forecourt when a delivery lorry smashed into it.

Ms Yap, 27, from Hertfordshire, took her mother Janet to L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Covent Garden, where they racked up a £714.61 bill.

The garage called the amount “excessive” and offered to pay for half the meal.

Big spend: The bill for the meal for two at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon

After being accused of greed, Keele University graduate Ms Yap told her critics: “I had a great time.”

She defended the bill and said Audi should have been clear in setting a spending limit, telling BBC Three Counties Radio: “It’s just the way they handled everything was very, very poor.

“A lot of time went into sorting something that should not have happened. It was all the scratches and the customer service, which was unacceptable.

“If you’re going to offer something like that, especially a name that reputable, it’s not my responsibility to know the company policy. They should’ve sorted it.

“Also when something like this happens and you get an offer like that, for me it’s a once in a lifetime thing. I’m not going to go there every day.”

Speaking at the family home, her father Richard told the Standard: “She has done nothing wrong.

“She is a hard worker who we are all proud of and she took the offer of the meal, there’s nothing to it. The rest is between her and Audi.” During their dinner the mother and daughter drank four glasses of champagne for £72, two bottles of wine at £69 each, six cocktails totalling £86 and a sloe gin at £10.

They enjoyed tapas including one La Truffe Noire at £35, two St Jacques scallop dishes costing £29 each, and two La Volatille risottos for £42.

Watford Audi staff said it was “excessive expenditure for two diners”. The company said it would pay £357, or £178 per head. An Audi spokesman said: “While Siobhan’s car was in possession of Audi it was unfortunately damaged by a third party vehicle in the car park.

“The repair was carried out and a courtesy car was provided by Watford Audi in line with Audi policy.

“By way of apology Watford Audi offered in return to cover the cost of a restaurant meal for two for Siobhan.”

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