A Black couple in Michigan had to endure racism at a J. Alexander’s restaurant while they were celebrating their anniversary. And they are saying that the management didn’t step in to stop it.
Jerrick Jefferson told Fox 2 Detroit that he had sat down for dinner with his wife at the West Bloomfield location when a random customer came their way and started throwing racial slurs and food at them.
“A gentleman from the bar area, a Chaldean gentleman, emerged from his seat and called us the n-word several times and started throwing food at us,” he said.
But the manager, who was nearby, chose to not intervene.
“The manager basically said, ‘I’m walking away.’ Those were her exact words: ‘I’m walking away’,” he said, adding that this move by the manager forced him to approach her and ask, “Is there any reason why black people in this restaurant can’t get any respect?”
A J. Alexander’s spokesman has apologized to customers who witnessed the incident, saying that the restaurant does not tolerate inappropriate behavior from either guests or employees. The restaurant, however, has yet to apologize directly to Jefferson, who has also accused the establishment of trying to hide the perpetrator from the police.
J. Alexander’s has denied that its employees were involved in the way Jefferson had described.
Police are currently investigating the incident.