Race-Discrimination Suit Filed Against Ohio Restaurant

ORANGE VILLAGE, OH — A race-discrimination lawsuit is being filed against Bahama Breeze in Orange Village. The lawsuit claims that two white managers filed a false police report and acted with hostility toward a group of black customers.

"Dining while black’ is not a crime, but Bahama Breeze treated these educated, professional African-Americans like common criminals—calling the police and humiliating Danielle Nelson and her guests for no good reason," said the plaintiff's attorney Subodh Chandra. "Such discrimination has no place in our society. Our clients intend to hold those responsible accountable for this mistreatment and hope to propel the national conversation about the role of race in American life.”

A spokesperson for Bahama Breeze emailed Patch a statement, saying, "Everyone is welcome in our restaurants, and we strive to provide an exceptional experience for all our guests. The manager involved no longer works for us because they mistreated a guest, which is inconsistent with our values."

The lawsuit stems from a June 19 incident, where Nelson, an author, was celebrating a book deal and a pending move. She reportedly arranged to reserve an enclosed patio for her guests. Once she and her friends arrived, things apparently turned ugly, the lawsuit indicates.

According to the lawsuit, Nelson's party was treated poorly from the moment of their arrival. Once the group was seated, one manager allegedly said that, “You and your people cannot leave out of this room for anything."

Things reportedly escalated when one of the guests had to leave to go to work. Staff repeatedly refused to give the woman her check, but finally relented after some argument. After the guest left, one of the Bahama Breeze managers called the police and filed what the lawsuit says is a false report.

In the report, the guests reportedly complained that their bills were taking too long to be delivered and then were "threatening to walk out" without paying. The reporting officer said the women paid their bills and showed their receipts to police, and asked about filing a complaint against the manager.

Seven years ago, in 2009, this same Bahama Breeze was the subject of a racial harassment lawsuit from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The company agreed to pay $1.26 million in relief in a settlement of that suit — which alleged that 37 black workers had been harassed while working for the restaurant.

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