Three Applebee’s employees have been fired amid allegations that they racially profiled two African-American women dining at a location in Missouri over the weekend, company officials said.
Alexis Brison was having dinner with a friend at an Applebee’s in Independence, Mo., on Saturday when their feast was interrupted by a police officer, a mall security guard and a restaurant manager. To Brison and her friend’s surprise, the trio accused them of “dining and dashing” at the same location the night before.
“We have not been here before. We’re just trying to enjoy our dinner,” Brison can be heard saying in a video of the encounter that she posted to Facebook.
“This is what black people have to deal with,” she added, as the officer continued to ask them questions.
Brison wrote in a post accompanying the video.
Hey facebook friends and family I need your help reposting this. Especially in black history month black people cannot continue to be treated this way. My friend and I were shopping at the independence center in independence, Missouri(Near Kansas City), when we were done we decided to get a bite to eat at Applebee’s. About an hour into out dinner we were approached by a Independence police officer, a mall cop, and the restaurant manager. We were told that we were accused of eating and not paying for CHICKEN the day before (dining and dashing).
Mind you that we have proof that can show our whereabouts and it’s not even in our character to steal. After being mocked, humiliated, and embarrassed we were asked to pay for our food, leave, and not come back. After leaving, calls were made to the restaurant and the manager stated that our accuser remembered that there was a SKINNY girl and a girl who wore MAKEUP
. In 2018 is this really what we’re debased to? Our weight and whether or not we wore makeup. She could not recognize any facial features or any defining characteristics . This is a clear example of RACIAL PROFILING that should not be stood for. Just because we are black does not mean we are all criminals and I will not be treated as such.
The video quickly went viral and had been viewed more than 2 million times as of Monday evening.
Applebee’s did not take Brison’s allegations lightly.
After an internal investigation and in line with our values, the franchisee terminated the manager, server and another employee involved in the incident,” the restaurant chain said in a statement Monday night. “We do not tolerate racism, bigotry or harassment of any nature.”
The Independence location has also been temporarily shut down, company officials said, so that staff can “regroup, reflect, learn and grow from this.”
Emeh Achanga,the CEO of the Miss Petite Nigeria Brand is a lawyer turned blogger. She is very passionate about writing, with several publications and awards to her credit .She is currently working on publishing a collection of short stories which are basically a memoir about her exciting true experiences.
