Lawsuit: Buffalo Wild Wings Managers Said It’s OK to Refuse Black Customers
TROUBLING
Managers at a Kansas City Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant allowed their white employees to refuse service to black customers, often making defamatory remarks because, they said, “blacks don’t give good tips,” a federal lawsuit alleges. According to the suit, which was filed by former restaurant employee Gary Lovelace, the company created a “racially hostile work environment,” and managers and wait staff fostered an environment conducive to racial discrimination, age discrimination, discrimination based on a disability, and retaliation, the Kansas City Star reports. Lovelace, 55, who is black, said he was fired from his job as a cook after reporting his concerns about discrimination and workplace safety. He worked at the establishment for 12 years before being let go.