MIAMI — The Cheesecake Factory says it has suspended a group of employees accused of harassing a customer who wore a "Make America Great Again" hat to one of the company's Miami restaurants.
The Cheesecake Factory has suspended employees at the Dadeland location after a man says they harassed him for wearing a #MakeAmericaGreatAgain #MAGA hat. @CBSMiami pic.twitter.com/Q4Q2NioSBK
— Lauren Pastrana CBS4 (@LaurenPastrana) May 16, 2018
According to WFOR-TV, Eugene Joseph, 22, said employees at the chain's Dadeland Mall location taunted and threatened him on Mother's Day when they saw his hat bearing President Donald Trump's campaign slogan.
Joseph, who was at the restaurant with his girlfriend and her family, told WFOR that staffers made insulting comments and tried to intimidate him, saying they'd hit him and knock off his cap.
One guest at the table "felt uneasy due to several employees gathering around her table and cracking their knuckles," a Miami-Dade police report said, later adding that "no threats were made and no physical altercation occurred," WFOR reported.
The restaurant chain issued an apology after Joseph's story, initially reported by the Daily Wire, went viral.
"No guest should ever feel unwelcome in one of our restaurants and we are taking this matter very seriously," the statement read. "Upon learning of this incident, we immediately apologized to the guests in person. The individuals involved have been suspended pending the results of our investigation."
No guest should ever feel unwelcome in one of our restaurants and we are taking this matter very seriously. Upon learning of this incident, we immediately apologized to the guests in person. The individuals involved have been suspended pending the results of our investigation.
— Cheesecake Factory (@Cheesecake) May 15, 2018
Joseph told WFOR that the Cheesecake Factory has not apologized to him personally.
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