Bahama Breeze in Orange Village has fired a manager who was involved in an alleged racial harassment incident Tuesday night, the restaurant revealed this afternoon.
In a tweet sent to WKYC, Bahama Breeze stated that the manager "no longer works for us because they mistreated a guest, which is inconsistent with our values." The restaurant added it "fell short of delivering great service to our guests."
The manager had claimed an eating party of roughly 40 people became "worked up about the bill" and did not want to pay, and also accused the group of using profanity and disrespect. The patrons, however, said they had no such intentions, and were only profiled as people who might not pay based on their race.
Patrons involved in the incident and others held a protest outside the establishment Wednesday. The restaurant says it personally apologized to the group and invited them back
This is not the first time Bahama Breeze has been accused of racial harassment: Back in 2009 37 black workers claimed their managers repeatedly used racial slurs and denied them breaks. The restaurant was forced to pay a $1 million settlement and provide anti-discrimination and diversity training to its staff.