Nique calls out ATL restaurant as racist for not giving him a table

[macdaddy]

The original tweet Nique answers a lot of folks questions.  Says he was masked up and didnt expect them to recognize him, wasn't looking for special treatment.   

"They first said no tables and then said I was not dressed fashionably acceptable. And I always check if they need reservations. Thanks so much"

as others have said, this is unusual for Nique to publicly comment on something like this and also i've been here since Nique was at UGA and i've never once seen him or seen him photographed in public looking anything less than very sharp.   

Maybe a misunderstanding, or poor job by the host but 100% believe Nique. 

[JayBirdHawk]

Quote

On Sunday, the restaurant issued a new statement on its Instagram page apologizing to Wilkins.

"We want to apologize to Mr. Wilkins for his experience at our restaurant and also for any confusion our dress code may have caused," the statement said.

"We in no way intended for him to feel unwanted, and welcome an open dialogue with him. Our upscale dining experience and our brand's culture is made up of multiple elements, which include our music, our food and our patrons' attire. We continue to strive to manifest our dining experience in a way that is exciting and most importantly, inclusive."

NBA Legend Dominique Wilkins Gets Apology After Restaurant Turned Him Away (msn.com)
 

I remember this story from last year:

Quote

A restaurant group in Maryland has apologized to an African American woman and her son after they were denied service at an establishment because the boy was allegedly violating its dress code—despite the fact that a white boy wearing similar clothes was permitted to dine.

Marcia Grant posted about the weekend incident at Ouzo Bay, an upscale Mediterranean restaurant in Baltimore, on Facebook on Monday.

Alongside a video of her encounter with a manager, she wrote that the restaurant would not allow her 9-year-old son Dallas to dine at the restaurant because he was in athletic wear. 

"I pointed out to them that there was a white child that also had on athletic wear just getting up from dinning [sic] there, they still would not let my son eat there!" Grant wrote.

Restaurant Apologizes for Denying Black Boy Service Over Dress Code (newsweek.com)

 

 

Have all the dress codes you want - just enforce it EQUALLY.

[macdaddy]

7 minutes ago, sturt said:

 

Wow.  They suck at 'making this right'.   

 

[Wretch]

Forget discrimination and dress codes...who doesn't give Nique a seat in Atlanta?  

Listening to the owner, and reading the 3 different official statments/"apologies", I'm not even sure that race was as big an issue as was his desire to have pissing contest with a local legend.

[Eddielives]

Unless there's more to the story to come out, it's really as simple as this.  They have a dress code that specifically states no sports wear allowed.  'Nique was apparently wearing very high end, sports pants with a stripe, but sports pants nonetheless.  How we get to the restaurant being racist based on these facts alone is ridiculous.  So unless further information comes to light showing inconsistencies with how lenient they may be with people based on their race, this is nothing more than sour grapes and an unfortunate jump to a conclusion about a business.  It seems to me that 'Nique is the one that owes the business an apology.  I actually have lost a bit of respect for him because of this.

[macdaddy]

39 minutes ago, Eddielives said:

Unless there's more to the story to come out, it's really as simple as this.  They have a dress code that specifically states no sports wear allowed.  'Nique was apparently wearing very high end, sports pants with a stripe, but sports pants nonetheless.  How we get to the restaurant being racist based on these facts alone is ridiculous.  So unless further information comes to light showing inconsistencies with how lenient they may be with people based on their race, this is nothing more than sour grapes and an unfortunate jump to a conclusion about a business.  It seems to me that 'Nique is the one that owes the business an apology.  I actually have lost a bit of respect for him because of this.

Le Bilboquet Restaurant Under Fire for Arbitrarily Enforced Dress Code - Eater Atlanta

 

Quote

Monica Johnson had reservations for brunch on the patio with two friends Sunday, May 16, and drove 40 miles to dine at the French restaurant. In a post left on Le Bilboquet’s Facebook page, Johnson says she was turned away for wearing a matching cotton track suit, which she was told violated the restaurant’s dress code. She complied and dined elsewhere in the area. After walking by Le Bilboquet later, Johnson claims patrons were seated outside and dressed in similarly casual attire, including wearing ripped jeans, sneakers, and t-shirts.

When Johnson confronted the manager on duty, she says he acknowledged the “inconsistencies” in the dress code that day and suggested she contact the general manager. In an email to general manager Mark Hoefer last week, Johnson says she attached a photo of herself in the green cotton track suit and other patrons dressed similarly on the patio. He reportedly replied and compared her outfit to “pajamas” and told her everyone else in the attached photos were in compliance with the dress code.

The policy can still be racist whether intentional or not.   Seriously what kind of 'dress code' is it that allows ripped jeans, shorts but not 'athletic' pants so they can protect the 'culture' of the restaurant.   It's not like this is a dress code and slacks required place.  It allows casual attire with the specific exclusion of a certain type of casual attire. 

 

[Eddielives]

52 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

Le Bilboquet Restaurant Under Fire for Arbitrarily Enforced Dress Code - Eater Atlanta

 

The policy can still be racist whether intentional or not.   Seriously what kind of 'dress code' is it that allows ripped jeans, shorts but not 'athletic' pants so they can protect the 'culture' of the restaurant.   It's not like this is a dress code and slacks required place.  It allows casual attire with the specific exclusion of a certain type of casual attire. 

 

Nique’s accusations are of being denied entry because of his race. The sensibility of the dress code is a different conversation altogether. If they say no sports pants like the ones he was wearing are allowed, that’s just them enforcing their policy. If anybody is going to jump to racism from that, they’re going to have to prove that the dress code was implemented specifically to deter people of a certain race from dining. I don’t see any credible evidence of that. Now if evidence emerges showing people being allowed in wearing what Nique was turned away for, particularly a white person, then we would have some legitimate grounding to build an argument for possible discrimination based on race. Until then, this is claims without evidence.