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.
I agree. The comments on this picture have been awful. I have noticed huge amounts of very ugly stuff on this site lately. It’s depressing.
Again, I agree that they don’t look like feral gang bangers, but they don’t look like a bunch of nuns and librarians either. I could see that group getting loud and rowdy, especially after a long wait. I could also see them not being rowdy.
Also, the hard working, law abiding, black people on my block would probably be dressed a little more respectably and look less rough around the edges than some of the members of this group. They would also probably call ahead if they had a group of 25.
Restaurants are typically not in the businesses of turning away paying customers, for no reason, so I think it is more likely some members of the party were misbehaving, but at this point we don’t know and we may never know.
As I said, large groups of people, regardless or skin color or clothing, can often get loud and obnoxious. This is especially true where alcohol is involved, and the restaurant apparently has a bar. Most groups waiting a long time to be seated would have some drinks at the bar.
Thank you for this injection of common sense.
“Like to hear both sides of that story.”
How about this. I was in the lobby of a Ft. Lauderdale hotel (that has been torn down and replaced by a high rise) when a decent looking black woman comes in and asks for a room. The clerk tells him there are not any available. He leaves and a few minutes later a white couple asks for a room and apparently in those few minutes one became available.
I was also eating lunch at a buffet in Columbia MD and a group of 10 or so nice looking blacks just get up and walk out without paying the tab and the owner is yelling at them all the way out.
Agreed. As the mother of adopted black children, I can vouch that there is racism against blacks and racism against whites in this world.
That said we need more information
Was the the thread talking about certain customers eating 90% of their food, then complaining about it and asking for a ‘replacement’?
My wife and I went to the Wild Wing in Mount Pleasant during September a couple of years ago, and were told the wait ‘would be a couple of hours’. They were busy...I can’t imagine trying to accommodate twenty-five without a ‘heads up’ (All those cell phones, and everyone with a dead battery. Go figure.)
“More likely that the servers revolted.....”
Probably correct, this troop would have come in, bitched endlessly, made a big mess, and left without tipping, if not outright complaining and trying to get some meals for free. And drive away better customers also.
Why would any restaurant want a large group of such customers.
What were they looking for a single table for 25 people?
sounds like another Dennies set up.
To be honest, the host should have asked (they may have) if the group would be ok with separating in 2-4 different groups so they could be seated quicker..
(Remember, it is a group of 25 with no prior reservation)..
I am staying away from any side here since we don’t know the whole story.
I don’t think the manager turned them away; they were trying to seat them, evidently in the same section, and somebody objected, the manager reported that the woman said she felt threatened, and they left. Personally, I think the woman who objected may have objected because she felt that she was being hurried so that the group could sit down, not that she felt “threatened.” They don’t look threatening and most of North Charleston is black anyway so it’s not like this is a new experience to her.
Wild Wings is a popular, casual place that probably attracts large groups of black people all the time - and in fact, some of the people who complained had dined there before - and I think the big problem was simply accommodating a large group with no notice. If it was raining, that meant that the deck (I think they have one) wouldn’t have been usable and also probably that the restaurant was more crowded than usual.
While it’s hard to say without hearing more from the other people involved, I don’t think “racism” was part of this, although I suppose anything is possible in today’s climate.
What I really don’t like are some of the comments here.
So one customer felt threatened and for that a restaurant asked 25 people to leave. There is no mention of any disturbance. If there had been or if the manager had refused service before seating the party because the manager thought they would make trouble then maybe there would be two sides to the story.
But this is nonsense and from all I have read the only reason is that one person thought 25 Black people must be a threat.
So any group of Black people must be composed of murderers? I can’t even imagine have such a view of other people.
“After a half hour I’m out’a there.”
My limit too. I would still like to hear the manager and customers’ side though. I have seen large “family” groups of blacks be rather uncivil.
I thought FR had a policy of not permitting racist posts. I can see by many of the responses to this and other recent event that the policy has been abandoned. This makes me sad cause it feeds into the Leftist stereotype that Conservatives are all racist.
“I am staying away from any side here since we don’t know the whole story.”
Really? Well that’s refreshing. Makes you different from many of the posters here who apparently are overcome by white guilt.
Here’s a money bet. When the truth comes out this “story” will quietly disappear.
So, some of you ask yourselves. If this was a group of whites who were asked to leave would there even be a story? I’ll answer that question. Hell no.
Agree with you. Act civilized — white or black — and you should be treated well. These 25 black patrons were ill-treated by the restaurant.
The last part of what you said... SO true (and I am not talking about any ‘race here’, just being an American or foreigner)..
I am so embarrassed sometimes at the vile and vulgar things foreigners here do.. I usually disappear very quickly :p
(I haven’t even gone ‘club hopping’ in about 9 years now because of this (for the better.. cheaper and healthier ;))
What the hell is wrong with you.
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