Sheffield Hygge cafe praised for response to 'Islamophobic' review

Hygge owner Alex Moore said he was just doing "something normal" by standing up for his staff

A cafe owner has been praised for his response to a customer who left a one-star online review referring to a staff member who was wearing a hijab.

Alex Moore, owner of Sheffield's Hygge, said his policy was "to be inclusive, friendly and to spread love not hate".

The one-line Google review from "George Cross" referred to being served by someone in "moslem dress" [sic].

Tell MAMA, an organisation which works to counter Islamophobia, thanked Mr Moore for his "act of solidarity".

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Mr Moore, who has reported the comment to Google, shared a screenshot of the review on the cafe's social media accounts.

His reply read: "Hi George. I believe you're referring to the 'hijab', worn by 'Muslim' females.

"Don't worry - we don't charge for offering basic information to ignorant people."

Mr Moore said the staff member was now fearful of returning to work

He added: "It's very understandable that this item of clothing managed to ruin your experience of the venue, it must be so hard to go about your day when you could be unreasonably confronted by a burka, a crucifix necklace or a kippah at any minute."

Mr Moore's answer received replies including "outstanding response" and "huge respect for this".

Tell MAMA added: "Everyone at Tell MAMA extends their deepest gratitude for this act of solidarity and strong stance against anti-Muslim hate and Islamophobia."

'Horrible stuff'

Mr Moore told the BBC he felt his cafe was getting praise it did not deserve as he was just "doing something normal".

"It wasn't supposed to be about me or our business. It was just trying to put a bit of good out there and say, look, we don't need this horrible stuff."

He said the female member of staff was "distraught" when he told her about the review and was now fearful of returning to work.

"I am a small business owner and one of my priorities is to keep our staff members safe, so that is my number one priority," he said.

The BBC has approached Google for comment.