Joan Raven was a retired magistrate who with time on her hands and money to spare who wanted to invest her funds in a potentially lucrative business. Dev Alahan was keen to expand his empire and arranged for fellow golfer Joan to visit his “jewel in the crown” a.k.a Prima Doner, and see for herself the rewards that could come her way should she go into a partnership with him. Dev exuberantly instructed manager Chesney Brown to have the place pristine clean for her visit and gave him a pep talk about joining him in climbing the ladder of success.
What Dev didn’t realise was that Chesney was struggling mentally after being stabbed with a broken bottle when he innocently walked into the Viaduct Bistro where an altercation was taking place between Robert Preston and Rich Collis. With Joan due imminently, Chesney was on his own when a rowdy stag party called into the eatery and triggered his anxiety with their behaviour. Chesney fled and the four lads, still wanting their food, began to help themselves from behind the counter. As Dev and Joan made their way down Victoria Street, they heard the commotion from within which Joan labelled as being “lively”. Dev ran in and found a scene of near carnage, throwing the four lads out, just as Cathy Matthews arrived for her shift. Dev apologised to Joan for wasting her time and went off in a tantrum to find his manager while the kind-hearted Joan offered to help Cathy clear up the mess.