..Should they exercise their right to refuse service when patrons show blatant disrespect?
I'm a military brat (child of two military service members who traveled a lot) and service member myself so I've been to quite a few different places and have had the opportunity to be exposed to different cultures pretty much all of my life.
Moving to Kentucky was no different for me, until I started hearing stories from my counter parts about the still existing KKK population in surrounding counties, and also about the racist history of the town I now live in. Contrary to what I’ve heard, I seemed to have had nothing but amicable experiences until a few weeks ago.
I started frequenting a small, family owned Soul Food restaurant called ANADAN’S DINER. The food was delicious and the service was good. (im a stickler when it comes to that) However, there were a few things that grabbed my attention. The first thing that struck me was the sign outside of the restaurant. It had a picture of a Caucasian chef. At first I thought maybe it was just a fair skinned African American, but then… I asked the owner about the history. He told me that it used to be a German restaurant and then they took it over and turned it into a soul food restaurant last year. (I giggled inside) Thinking to myself; “I wonder what people think when they come inside expecting to be greeted by an elderly German couple and see a 40-something attractive black man standing behind the counter?” They probably think; “Ok, he works here”.
Anywho…I digress…
I frequent Anadan’s for lunch now and I’ve noticed a pretty significant amount of Caucasians will step inside, only to be shocked and disappointed when they see an all Black staff greeting them. When asked are they “dining in” or “dining out” they say, “No, just looking for a menu” only to never return again. I asked “Q”, the co-owner, how he feels about it and he said it doesn’t really bother him, although he knows why they choose not stay. He also said that some people do stay, and some are kind, which is awesome, but some are extremely rude to his staff and sometimes down right racist! Hearing this, I was appalled, because I have never experienced this in all of my 29 ½ years.
He told me one of the customers actually said to his waitress “Oh, so what, you expect a tip because you picked up a couple of plates?” I was sad that had to happen, but all I could think was… “OOOH THEY GOT THE RIGHT ONE, BECAUSE IF THAT HADDA BEEN ME….”LOL
Anyhow, after learning what they go through on the daily, I asked myself would I refuse service if faced with the same… and the answer my friends is ABSOLUTELY!
People need to understand that this sort of behavior will not be tolerated, in the NORTH or the SOUTH…The majority thinks differently now...or do they? Feel free to share YOUR thoughts
“Seasons change, mad things rearrange, but it all stays the same…”-Lauryn Hill/Fugees/How Many Mics
