ATLANTA — On Saturday, Atlanta-based celebrities, including rappers T.I. and Killer Mike, called for locals to protest Houston's restaurant after accusations of discrimination.
On Friday, actress Ernestine Johnson wrote in an Instagram post that she felt as if she and her party had been discriminated against when they arrived at Houston's with a party of seven that was denied seating.
“We had a party of 7 and were told they do not seat more than 6. We said fine we will seat 4 and 3 at separate tables. They said we don’t split tables. I said we aren’t asking you to split tables we are separating ourselves and we are completely fine with different checks and different sections. They said no and still refused us! When asked why they had no sound reason. I felt completely disrespected at a business I have been patronizing for years! Has anyone else ever felt discriminated against at this business?” she wrote.
In the same post, Johnson shared images of parties of seven or more seated together in the restaurant or posing outside the restaurant. In a video of the exchange, a Houston's employee said "there wasn't anything specific" when asked why the group, by then a party of four, wasn't seated.
T.I. made an Instagram post from the scene of the protest. The restaurant closed on Saturday in anticipation of the protest.
Houston's responded to the charges in an Instagram post that has since been deleted, saying the company has employed a diverse staff to serve Atlanta's diverse clientele.
“Charges of discrimination are not only unfounded, but are an intentional manipulation using social media,” the statement read.
It also said the Atlanta location had recently instituted a policy prohibiting large parties of seven or more from splitting into separate groups at different tables, “which means that larger groups may not be able to dine with us at certain times.”
Cox Media Group
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