Dispute Over Steak Leads To Cries Of Restaurant Racism
DETROIT (CBS Detroit) New Yorker Christen Rochon garnered hundreds of comments when she ranted on Facebook about what she termed racism at a popular eatery for local power brokers.
But what really happened?
The narrative is that Rochon was having brunch with a friend for her birthday on Sunday and her pal felt her steak was cold. She asked a server to heat it up. The server complied, but the steak allegedly lingered on the counter after it was warmed. After what Rochon said was 10 minutes, a friend walked to the kitchen to grab it herself.
She was allegedly told it was a restricted area, and the drama ensued.
The owners of Clique, Marina and Vincko Gjokaj, claim she demanded her meal for free and became disorderly when refused. During the dispute, the manager threw her steak in the trash, and the pair left.
The owner allegedly told them he didn't need their business.
Rochon went on Facebook to call the incident racist. "Let racist restaurants like The Clique know that black dollars matter too!" she wrote.
"I don't care about you as a customer, I'll double & triple my business regardless!" - Owner/ Clique Restaurant. After...
Posted by Christen Rochon on Sunday, March 6, 2016
Responses were mostly supportive to Rochon, with comments like "disgusting behavior," "this isn't his first time disrespecting patrons" and "I just hope we really stick together on this."
Clique Restaurant UPDATE: Interesting response from the owner's wife who by the way didn't witness the altercation...
Posted by Christen Rochon on Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Some took to Clique's Facebook to defend the breakfast hotspot, with Jasmine Nicole Williams writing, "Still love your restaurant. Some people just don't know how to act regardless of race. I will say you maybe should have chosen the high rode as the owner and handled her the legal way. But to aire is human. And some people will bring out the worst in you. I totally understand. Any who. You always serve me and my people well when I come. The last time I came I was with my pastor and we had a good time. Good place, good people, good food!"
Thank you guys for all the support! I've seen quite a few others share that they've had bad experiences at Clique...
Posted by Christen Rochon on Monday, March 7, 2016
Others chimed in with support for the restaurant, despite the fact Rochon urged friends to go to the restaurant's Yelp, trip advisor and Facebook pages to express their disgust with what happened to her.
Contacted by CBS, a staffer said they were too overwhelmed with customers to respond, but said they're getting lots of support from the community. "We've had nothing but love from the regulars," she said.