Cheesecake Factory suspends workers in MAGA hat incident
The Cheesecake Factory says it has suspended workers involved in an incident in which a black customer reportedly was subjected to verbal abuse by restaurant staff over his "Make America Great Again" cap.
Eugenior Joseph, 22, was dining with his girlfriend's family at a Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Miami on Sunday, when his red MAGA hat was spotted by a female staff member, according to the Daily Wire, which first reported the incident. After the woman encouraged her co-workers to confront Joseph, about a dozen Cheesecake employees surrounded his table, multiple witnesses told the conservative news site.
EXCLUSIVE: Cheesecake Factory Employees Attack Black Man For Wearing MAGA Hat https://t.co/m6HvEICTD6
— The Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) May 15, 2018
One employee tried to scare Joseph by standing behind him "balling his fists, smacking his fists," Joseph told the Daily Wire. When he exited a restaurant bathroom, Joseph encountered employees "clapping and yelling, and just screaming things at me," he told the site.
The casual-dining chain operates 214 locations throughout North America.
"Upon learning of this incident, we immediately apologized to the guests in person," a Cheesecake Factory spokesperson stated in an email to CBS MoneyWatch. "The individuals involved in the incident have been suspended pending the results of our investigation."