Aireal Bonner claimed she was “rudely mistreated” and removed from a Birmingham restaurant over her attire, though she doubted that was the real reason. Southern Kitchen & Bar said her crocheted top violated its dress code. When she questioned the policy, the manager insisted posting it wasn’t required.
She was offered a t-shirt by another manager, but she refused to put it on. She was then asked to leave, with the manager threatening to call police if she did not exit the premises.
Bonner said in her Facebook post: “I was threatened with police action simply because I wanted to sit and eat in an outfit that I felt comfortable and happy in. There was no customer complaint that prompted the situation. This was purely the way that the ‘owner’ chose to run his business.”
Bonner later claimed that she doubted her clothing was the reason she was kicked out.
She told CBS 42: “My clothing was an excuse to not have me dine there. I think the biggest issue with my appearance is that I look very Afro-centric. My hair is an Afro texture. The way that I dress is Afro-centric. So I believe that because they can’t directly say things like ‘We don’t like the color of your skin, we don’t like the way that your hair looks,’ my clothing was just used as an excuse.”
Southern Kitchen and Bar posted a statement on its Facebook page stating that Bonner’s top was “not consistent with our appropriate attire policy.”
The restaurant apologized, admitting staff mishandled company policy by confronting Ms. Bonner after she sat instead of upon entry.
“We regret interrupting Ms. Bonner’s dinner and understand it made her uncomfortable,” the statement read, promising stricter protocols to address concerns at the door.
“We remain committed to making our restaurant welcoming for all.”
Bonner rejected the apology and urged people to leave negative reviews, causing Yelp to remove the page.
“The apparent ‘apology’ statement for the TIMING on when I was confronted about a nonexistent dress code is as I said before…LAUGHABLE,” Bonner wrote.
The group Alabama Rally Against Injustice has scheduled a sit-in protest at the restaurant on Saturday, claiming that there were pictures of other women wearing similar clothing on the restaurant’s social media page.
“Private businesses have the right to run their establishment how they see fit, but their discrimination will not be tolerated,” the group wrote.
