When a woman dressed in sunglasses and a big hat walked into Winnipeg’s Falafel Place at noon on Sunday, the restaurant’s owner had no idea it was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars – Julia Roberts.
Ami Hassan said his restaurant was packed, so he told Roberts, who was with her husband cinematographer Danny Moder and three kids, to take a walk and come back in half an hour.
“Somebody told me, ‘You just turned away Julia Roberts,’ and I said ‘It can’t be, why would she be in Winnipeg?'” he said.
Despite the half hour wait, Roberts did return to the restaurant, where the Oscar winner ordered a muffin and falafel.
Hassan said when Roberts took off her hat and sunglasses the whole restaurant fell silent and customers began to discreetly take photos of her.
“She was good. Nobody bothered her. Nobody talked to her. She ate her meal. She was very happy. She tipped very well and she walked out,” he said.
Hassan said Roberts sent her son to pay the bill, but when he didn’t know how much to tip, he had to seek guidance from his famous mom.
“She’s just a regular person like you and me. There’s no difference,” Hassan said.
Despite his encounter with the Hollywood star, Hassan said he has never seen any of her movies.
“I’m not sure if she’s comedy, drama, science fiction. I couldn’t tell you,” he said.
Roberts isn’t the first famous actor to visit Falafel Place -- Hassan said Daryl Hannah used to come to the restaurant when she was shooting a movie in Winnipeg.
