Posted on 08/27/2013 7:04:35 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
After waiting patiently for two hours to be seated, a group of 25 black family members and friends were recently booted out in the rain from a Wild Wing Café in North Charleston, S.C., because a white customer felt threatened by their presence.
News of the incident, which is now spreading on social media, was first made public via a Facebook post on Aug. 22 after the company failed to respond to a complaint made on behalf of the offended customers three weeks ago.
"I will never go to Wild wings cafe in N. Chs again! We (Party of 25 family and friends) waited 2hrs, patiently and were refused service because another customer (White) felt threatened by us," noted Mike London in the Facebook post. "This type of racial discrimination is unacceptable and we have to put a STOP TO IT. The manager looked me dead in the face and said she was refusing us service because she had a right to and simply she felt like it. DO NOT SUPPORT THIS ESTABLISHMENT... PLEASE SHARE THIS POST…We need your help," the post continued.
The post was quickly followed up with a telling photo of the group standing outdoors shielding themselves from the rain with umbrellas.
In an interview with WNEM about the incident last week, Michael Brown said the group was celebrating a going away party for his cousin when the shift manager of the restaurant approached them and told them that there was a "situation."
"She said there's a situation where one of our customers feels threatened by your party, so she asked us not to seat you in our section, which totally alarmed all of us because we're sitting there peaceably for two hours," Brown told WNEM. "Obviously, if we were causing any conflict, we would have been ejected out of the place hours before," he noted.
He explained that during his conversation with the manager, a member of the celebrating party decided to record what was happening and the manager responded by refusing to seat them entirely.
"I asked her I want to be clear with you," said Brown. "I said so you're telling me I have to leave. She said I have a right to deny you service. I said so you're asking me to leave because you're upset because he was recording you, after we've waited for two hours, and after you've already pretty much discriminated on us, and she answered 'yes.'"
Since the matter became public, however, the company has been facing public scorn and has responded to the incident a number of times.
"With regard to the ongoing discussion about a customer complaint, we at Wild Wing Cafe are completely aware of the fact that we dropped the ball in communicating swiftly to a loyal customer. We take full responsibility for our lapse in response time, had the opportunity to call back and have no excuses for not doing so in 3 weeks," noted the company in a post on their Facebook page on Aug. 24.
"We have never tolerated racism from our employees and won't tolerate it on our Page either. Our biggest concern has always been our customers and our staff. We have always insisted on hearing all sides to an issue and treating people with respect... and this time is no different," it continued.
In a follow-up post on Sunday, the company further noted that they are now conducting a thorough investigation into the incident while apologizing again.
"We are conducting a thorough investigation and are taking the appropriate action. In the meantime, we are in regular and productive conversation with the individuals and we hope to keep all involved fans and friends of WWC," the company noted.
"We realize these are topics that engender emotional reactions. We truly believe that actions speak louder than words and we hope all are open to let ours speak for us as we move through this situation. We are committed to not repeat the mistakes that have been made and to make sure anybody who walks in the doors of WWC is treated with love, respect and care," it said.
Mind-boggling it is.
Did they have reservations? Were they willing to take a smoking room? Did the first guy have some sort of special requirements?
You probably don't know. If not your observation is worth zero.
You live in a world of liberal idiocy.
Good lord, grow up.
You don't think black people make fun of the way white people dress/talk/dance/act?
You sound like a crazy person.
Well,well,well. Another side of the story.
Would it be racist for me to believe this version? According to many posters, of course it would.
Another thing. Seems after your “find” a lot, no all of the posters that proclaimed “racism is alive and well especially on Free Republic” have just disappeared. Imagine that.....
Oh because blacks MIGHT make fun of whites in a picture, it is ok for you to? Yes. I must be the one to grow up. You are the reason conservatives get a bad name.
God bless those 25 people from the likes of you. Your a disgrace!
Moron. Why are you even on a conservative site? Take your liberal white guilt elsewhere will you please.
We oughta PING all those RASSISSM obsessives on high horses. Why, there should be a Religious Forum for the RASSISSM Religion, where the believers can freely discuss their theological issues. DUers would more than welcome there since they share this Holy Kumbaya belief.
Why wouls anyone wait 2 hours in the rain for anything?
Dude, look carefully at the photo in post #1. Seriously. Look at it, it’s a picture of racial integration in America 50 years after whatever it was being celebrated the other day.
The tribes voluntarily remaining in their apartheids oughta just stick in their own environments, patronize their own restaurants, and leave the rest of us alone.
Lately I’ve noticed a lot of poting here that is bordering on pornagraphic. I find it very disturbing to say the least.
God bless people who accosted a deaf girl, berated a waitress, and blocked the entrance of a restaurant all while crying racism. You sound like Obama when he said God bless to Planned Parenthood. Must be a different god.
Oh, I agree. I thought there was more to it.
What I’m objecting to here are the nasty comments about blacks in general.
Exactly. The fact that any group of people behaves badly is not an excuse for conservatives and Christians to behave in-kind.
You are so absolutely full of it. If they find a lawyer stupid enough to take their case, I hope the jury laughs in their face.
They were the ones who were rude and I’m not surprised you continue to stick up for them.
Agree with this posting 100%....
It is obvious that many FReepers have a suicidal case of DWL and will never awaken from their belief that the po’ po’ slaves were never freed and we should all remain in a state of penance for our sins in perpetuating the horrrroorrrs of slavery! The Christian Church has been destroyed by this mentality as have a lot of the cities especially in Yankee-land!
Never depend on these types to cover your back, they have managed to almost destroy your children’s future by their cowardly refusal to see the reality of the race wars.
Funny how a little bit of perspective is found when the ‘rest of the story’ shows up....like your tag line
Never considered myself a Republican but conservative to the bone. Love God, Family, Country in that order’.
Where's your concern for the other patrons who had THEIR meals ruined, through no fault of their own, because some folks don't know how to behave on public.
And they don't even get to go running to the media, threatening to sue. They just have to trudge home thinking, "Well, that sucked."
Or were all the whiteys there in on it?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.