Restaurant owner backs decision not to serve Russell Crowe and his girlfriend

The same rules apply to everyone - even Hollywood royalty

A restaurant owner in Australia has defended the decision to turn away Russell Crowe and his girlfriend over their clothing. On Friday, the Les Misérables actor and Britney Theriot stopped by Japanese fusion restaurant Mr Miyagi on Chapel Street, Melbourne, for a bite to eat after having worked up an appetite playing tennis. But, when the pair got there they weren't let in, with staff citing its strict dress-code. The restaurant owner Kristian Klein told the Herald Sun: "We treat everyone the same. It doesn’t matter who you are or if you are Russell Crowe. "We’ve got a dress code that we that we push across every level. So whoever it is, it stays the same." Klein said the establishment is "consistent" with its rules, adding: "And I don’t feel like it’s unreasonable." The restaurant owner said the business is not "trying to teach people how to dress". Klein added, however, that he was "in my thongs and my boardies, I’m not going to try and go to a nice restaurant, because I wouldn’t be dressed appropriately". He concluded: "[...] We put so much effort in what we do. And we expect everyone to sort of respect us like we respect the guests." Crowe's manager, Grant Vandenberg, later described to Daily Mail Australia exactly what the A-lister was wearing. He said: "He [Crowe] went there wearing a brand new Ralph Lauren polo having just played a game of tennis and was turned away." The restaurant is "casual but fancy", according to its website. Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Klein said the staff members who turned Crowe and Theriot away, had not realised who they were. But he later added that the same rules apply for everyone and it "doesn't matter who you are". According to the Herald Sun, radio producer Sacha French, alongside TV commentator Steve Price and his partner, have also previously been turned away from the establishment. Despite laying down the law, Klein has said he'd "love to" have the Gladiator star and Theriot back. Theriot reportedly met Crowe on the set of 2013 film Broken City, where he starred alongside Mark Walhberg and Catherine Zeta-Jones. According to , she now works as a realtor.