Multiple employees were fired from a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in Naperville after some customers said their group was asked to move to another table because of the color of their skin.
Buffalo Wild Wings spokesperson Clarie Kudlata in an email late Sunday said the company conducted a thorough, internal investigation and “terminated the employees involved.” She said a service manager and shift manager were fired.
“Buffalo Wild Wings values an inclusive environment and has zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind,” Kudlata said.
A reporter called the Naperville location Sunday and the manager, a male who would not identify himself, said “there were employees who were terminated and who quit.”
He directed further questions to Buffalo Wild Wings’ corporate communications team.
Justin Vahl and Marcus Riley said they visited the Buffalo Wild Wings on 75th Street east of Route 59 about 8:30 p.m. Oct. 26 with four other adults and 12 children after a youth basketball tournament to celebrate the birthday of one of the kids.
As employees set up the tables to seat the group, a host asked Vahl about his ethnicity. Vahl said he asked why it mattered.
He said the host explained that one of the restaurant’s regular customers seated nearby “doesn’t want black people sitting near him.”
Later, a manager asked the group to move to another location because a nearby customer didn’t want to sit near black people, Vahl and Riley said.
The group then left the restaurant to dine and celebrate the birthday elsewhere.
Vahl’s wife, Mary, who was at the restaurant as well, posted about her experience on social media, and as of Sunday night the post had been shared more than 4,400 times and generated nearly 3,000 comments.
Riley, from Joliet, said he reached out to the company to tell them about his experience because he wants to prevent a similar incident from happening again.
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Tribune reporter Alice Yin contributed.
subaker@tribpub.com
