Man Harassed At The Cheesecake Factory For Wearing Donald Trump 'Make America Great Again' Hat

May 19. 2018

Eugenior Joseph (left) and Miami Dade police on the right who responded to distress call regarding Cheesecake Factory employees harassing and threatening him while he had a meal with his girlfriend and her family

A man was harassed in a Miami Cheesecake Factory restaurant for wearing a President Trump hat, which bears the slogan, “Make America Great Again.” Select employees began harassing, Eugenior Joseph, at his table, making insulting comments, then chanting derisive statements while he, his girlfriend and her family dined. A few employees threatened to knock the hat off his head, which is a crime.

This unwise incident has resulted in very bad publicity for the Cheesecake Factory, which is regrettable, as it is a very good restaurant chain that makes delicious food. Their service is usually very good. Their employees are usually very courteous. Now their brand is suffering over the acts of a handful of employees, who subsequently, have been fired.

There have been cases like this popping up recently and it needs to stop, as it is not good for the economy/jobs. I will cite another example. Recently, Starbucks was hit with horrendous publicity because one employee decided to single out two black men as criminals. The employee called the police over the two men waiting for their realtor in Starbucks and asking to use the bathroom.

Police arrived and arrested the men, placing them in cuffs and removing them from the restaurant. Someone recorded the incident and uploaded it to the internet, creating a firestorm. People vowed to boycott Starbucks, due to the preventable incident that should not have happened.

All Starbucks have a rule that you must be a paying customer to use their restrooms. It is for a reason. Any company who has their bathrooms open to non-paying customers would face rising operating costs from paying for janitorial services, soap, toilet paper and paper hand towels. If only paying customers use the bathrooms, the costs are offset by their purchases.

Cheesecake Factory statement on the incident

There were times I went into Starbucks and purchased something just to use their bathroom. I don’t have a problem with their bathroom policy. I understand it is for financial reasons. However, I do have a problem with an employee using poor judgment and calling the police on people who have not committed a crime.

The employee’s actions were very unwise and damaged a company, Starbucks, that didn’t deserve it. Starbucks makes good food and coffee drinks. Their employees have decent benefits. Their employees are usually courteous and friendly. However, look at all the trouble one rogue employee caused.

In general, if you work for a company, you can’t go into their business and do whatever you feel like. The consequences could be quite far reaching and damaging. You were hired to do a job. Be professional. It is not your company. You do not have the right to engage in damaging behavior that could destroy the brand, result in boycotts, which spell a decline in revenues and potentially many job losses, when employers are forced to lay people off to stay afloat.

The Civil Rights Act bars individuals and companies from discriminating against people in a variety of settings, including restaurants and shops. The Civil Rights Act bars individuals and companies from singling out, harassing and or discriminating against people based on race, religion, nationality or sexuality. Political harassment is also a crime, as seen in the Cheesecake Factory incident.

If someone is in a restaurant or shop and they are not breaking the law or being disruptive, you have no right to remove or harass them. It's bad business and poor form. Learn to agree to disagree with people. Learn to leave people alone.

STORY SOURCE

Two Cheesecake Factory Employees Are Out After Trump Hat Remarks

May 16, 2018, 2:12 PM EDT - Cheesecake Factory Inc. said two workers at one of its Miami restaurants are no longer employed there after making “disparaging remarks” about a customer’s hat bearing the slogan of President Donald Trump’s campaign “Make America Great Again.”

“No guest should ever feel unwelcome in one of our restaurants and we are very sorry,” the chain said in a statement on Twitter. An investigation is continuing into the incident, which occurred on Sunday. It said that as of Tuesday, the two staff members are no longer with the company.

The response comes as a push for more inclusion becomes a key issue in corporate America. Starbucks Corp. will be closing more than 8,000 company-owned stores on May 29 for anti-bias training after the arrest of two black men at a Philadelphia location last month became a flashpoint for the chain...

https://www.bloomberg.com