Restaurant owner apologises after Black man asked to leave for wearing sneakers

A restaurant owner has apologised after a Black couple accused his sushi restaurant of discrimination when they were asked to leave because of a dress code violation.

In a video taken by Kaylan Colbert at Umi Sushi in Atlanta, Georgia, her husband, who she referred to as Steve, can be seen arguing with waitstaff, who would not seat the couple because he was wearing sneakers, despite having a reservation on 23 October.

In the clip, which has since been widely shared on Instagram and Twitter, Colbert’s husband, who is wearing white Nike Air Force 1 sneakers, pointed out that another patron, who is white and seated, is also wearing sneakers.

"This is pure racism," he told waitstaff. "She has on Adidas."

After an employee asked the couple to speak outside, he can be heard telling them: “I get where you’re coming from, but please, we’re all minorities here,” before referring to the other customer’s shoes as “dress sneakers”.

Following the incident, Colbert told Fox5 that she and her husband have dined at the sushi restaurant multiple times and that her husband has worn gym shoes during these occasions.

According to Colbert, they felt that the restaurant was applying the dress code to only some customers and not others.

“If you’re going to have rules they should apply to everyone and not just some people,” she said.

In the video, Colbert also captured the moment when the restaurant’s owner Farshid Arshid became involved in the conversation as he was leaving the restaurant.

After identifying himself, the couple asked Arshid why some sneakers are allowed, to which he responded that no sneakers are allowed in the establishment, no matter what brand they are.

The argument eventually escalated to a physical confrontation, at which point staff stepped in to separate the two men.

Arshid later told Fox5 that the restaurant should have handled the situation differently.

“This was completely, 100 per cent, an operational mistake on our end,” he said, adding: “When they got upset we should have investigated that.”

The restaurant also posted an apology to the couple on its website and Instagram, where it said Arshid and management “sincerely apologise” for the “mishandling of the dress code incident”.

“We are regretful and apologetic the incident escalated in the manner in which it did,” the statement continues. “At the heart of the issue, our co-owner Farshid Arshid, inappropriately expressed his frustration and he is ashamed.”

The restaurant also said it would be taking some time to reflect on the mistake and would be retraining its staff on “cultural sensitivities and policy protocol”.

The Independent has contacted Umi Sushi for comment.