Denny’s fires employees for making Black customers pay before eating
By Eurpublisher
Several employees at a Washington Denny’s have been fired after they insisted that Black patrons pay for their food in advance while letting white patrons eat first and pay on the way out.
A white couple witnessed the transgression while dining at the Federal Way Denny’s and took to Facebook with their account, which has since been deleted.
According to the Tri City Herald, Pellham said the group of young men had to wait about ten minutes before they were seated, though the restaurant was empty.
“The server comes out … and walks over to the young men’s table with their order slips,” Pellham writes. “She then asks for them to pay before the cook will prepare their food.”
Pellham said the waitress told the group she had several people order food and leave without paying, so her manager said she had to have them pay in advance.
“The young men did not make a scene or disrupt other people. They were complaining a little bit but quietly,” Pellham writes, adding that he told the group of men to ask the manager why they were told to pay in advance when Pellham and Pellham’s wife, Esther, were not.
Pelham says he then got into an argument with the server and accused her of being a racist.
Before learning that Denny’s had dismissed the employees, Pelham wrote, “I finished paying and said that I was never going to Denny’s again. The young men thanked us as we left.”
Denny’s released a statement on Saturday (Sept. 30) saying the workers involved in the incident have been fired: “We are deeply disappointed and outraged by the situation that took place at our independently-owned franchise restaurant in Federal Way, Washington. Denny’s has zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind. This type of behavior is unacceptable for any reason and is clearly inconsistent with our practices and policies. After a swift investigation, the employees involved in this incident are no longer employed by our franchisee and no longer a part of the Denny’s system.”
