An Uptown Dallas restaurant posts apology after a woman says she was asked to leave because of her shorts

A customer at a restaurant in Uptown Dallas said she was shocked when an employee asked her to leave because of her shorts. Monday afternoon, the restaurant issued an apology on Instagram and through comments said the manager had been fired.

“You see it on social media, but it really hits different when it's actually to you," said Dominique 'Dom' Nicole, who said she and her friend were asked to leave due to her shorts.

"It’s unfortunate that we had to leave because he (the manager) felt that my attire was not to his liking," said Nicole.

Nicole and her friend Josh Drake, made last-minute plans on Sunday to meet up for brunch at Baboush, a Mediterranean restaurant, in Uptown.

She ate there before said she had a good time and enjoyed the food which is why they chose the location.

Drake said he arrived first and was going to sit outside, but because of the hot weather, he waited for his friend inside at the bar.

"As soon as she sat down, the gentleman came over, about a minute later and says, 'Can't serve you guys inside because we have a dress code," said Drake.

He said initially he was confused and said the employee was pointing at Nicole's shorts. That's when Drake decided to pull out his phone and start recording.

"As soon as he started recording their dialogue of the conversation, the energy shifted," said Nicole. "He said we had to leave and was really rude, aggressive and disrespectful.”

At the beginning of the four-minute video that was posted to YouTube, Drake is heard asking the manager, "What's the dress code?" The employee then responds, "You can see it right there sir," as he motioned to the front door.

According to the dress code on the door, it doesn't specifically mention shorts but says, "comfortable, but polished, smart-casual, business-casual and elegant-casual attire required." It also states that, "Apparel that may be offensive or discriminatory is not allowed."

“My bottom was covered, no cheeks were out. I had like a sleeveless tan top on and my stomach wasn’t showing. I had on some heels a hat and a purse that was it like normal Texas summer attire. Nothing disrespectful, nothing tasteless, I mean, I don't know, I just couldn’t believe he denied us service because of his discretion of what I had on was inappropriate to eat inside his establishment," said Nicole.

She said they weren't given a clear explanation, but the fitness trainer believes the build of her body played a role.

"I have shapes, I have curves to me, so my clothes are going to fit a little bit different from someone who doesn't," said Nicole.

"It's hot in Texas there will be shorts being worn, there will be thighs being out, this is just the nature of where we live," said Drake.

As he continued to film their interaction he focused the camera on other people inside the restaurant wearing shorts.

"There were two other people with shorts on. They didn’t seem to have any issues with them being there," said Drake who also recorded video of people wearing shorts.

"There were other patrons eating and of course, we were the only people of color, he chose to deny us. There were two other women, not Black, who had on shorts just as short as mine or similar. One had on flip flops, one had tennis shoes on, they were in there dining like normal," described Nicole.

As the friends were walking out, Drake could be heard announcing to the restaurant what happened.

"I decided to let all the patrons know that we were being asked to leave because of her shorts, that’s why I made the outburst that I did," said Drake. "I just needed them to know the type of place they were supporting at the time."

The two said the employee then locked the door. Drake realized he left his bag inside, but moments later the video shows the employee unlocking the door, cracking it open and throwing the satchel on an outdoor table.

"When we walked out, he locked the door behind us, which was a little telling, but I think that part hurt the most," expressed Drake.

"My mind was going a thousand miles I felt like because he’s kicking us out, I’ve never been discriminated in that sense, denied service because of what I had on," said Nicole who was stunned and could be heard telling her friend she didn't understand what the issue was, especially since she's eaten there before.

On Monday the two friends posted their experience on their Instagram pages to their combined thousands of followers. The restaurant began to receive a lot of pushback online, including people leaving negative Google reviews.

By Monday afternoon, the restaurant issued an apology through a statement on Instagram.

The restaurant said it was aware of what happened on Father's Day and that, "The actions that took place yesterday by one of our staff does not align with the values of Baboush and we fully condemn the actions of this staff member."

Management said it was handling the situation internally. In response to comments on their Instagram post, the restaurant said the manager was fired.

The statement goes on to say, "We want to extend our deepest apologies to the individuals that were directly affected by the event yesterday, and we understand your frustration with what has happened. We will do better to ensure that every guest that visits Baboush feels safe and welcome."

"It's unfortunate that this is going on, that Black people are still having to face this type of racism and discrimination," said Nicole.

"You can say 'we apologize' and I fully expect them to do so because it’s good for business, but we shouldn't be here in the first place, so shame on them, they have to do better, there's no room in Texas, and there's no room for this period, we should be passed this, on Juneteenth by the way, crazy."

The restaurant addressed the topic of Juneteenth as well in their statement and said:

"We are also aware that today is Juneteenth, a holiday celebrated on June 19th to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the US. The Dallas community needs to recognize and abolish the continued discrimination that the Black community still unfortunately faces today. At Baboush, we strongly believe in supporting our local communities. This includes all people of any race, religion, etc. in our very diverse Dallas community that we are lucky to call home."

Drake and Nicole said the statement wasn't enough and wished to have heard from management personally.

“It would be mature for me to be receptive to it, but like I said, they woke up that way, it’s always been in them, so for this to happen to come to the light it’s not my job to say, 'It's okay," expressed Drake.