Ego at The Schooner Inn in Penarth, which offered 50 percent off menu items during a recent promotion, said some customers were verbally abusive to staff.
The restaurant thanked diners who had shown patience and kindness, calling them “the reason we do this.”
Support has poured in from the community, with many praising the team and expressing disappointment at the behaviour of a minority.
One customer, Andy O’Connor, noted that the restaurant had been busy but said “that never gives anyone the right to forget basic manners”.
He added: “Kindness and respect for the hard working restaurant staff should be non-negotiable.”
Others described the behaviour as a “disgrace” and called the team “always brilliant.”
Sian Bryan said: “I was there Christmas Day, the food, service and atmosphere was excellent, have already booked for next Christmas.
“All staff were fantastic and I nothing but the greatest respect for anyone prepared to work on Christmas Day.”
Lindy Tovey Pointing Close said she and her fellow customers were always “treated like royalty” while Alison Steele said she had “absolutely brilliant service”.
The staff were described as “a magnificent team” by regular Liz Mathew, who said Ego is “our place to go”, while fellow regular Denice Lewis praised the “great service” and noted that the staff “work really hard”.
Helen Tweddle said the fact that abuse had been experienced was “absolutely appalling”, a sentiment shared by many, including Nicola Penny, who said it was “totally unacceptable” and highlighted that some people “were not understanding of the pressures” staff were under.
The restaurant made it clear in their Facebook post that the wellbeing of its staff takes priority over bookings.
It stated that anyone unable to treat servers with respect would not be welcome at the venue.
The post ended with thanks to loyal customers who showed “what real community looks like.”
Ego’s declined to comment further when approached.
