Gay married couple ‘kicked out’ of restaurant for daring to show affection in public
The employee was fired after she rebuked a gay couple for embracing. She subsequently asked them to leave the premises. (News 12/Screenshot)
A restaurant worker who berated a gay married couple and asked them to leave the premises after they embraced has been fired.
Nelson Ayala and Jamel Brown Jr visited La Isla Cuchifrito restaurant in the Bronx, New York, on Friday (15 January) and placed an order for food.
However, the couple were stunned when an employee berated them and asked them to leave when they embraced affectionately in her presence.
In video footage recorded by the couple, the restaurant worker can be heard saying: “Man, woman” repeatedly in Spanish.
She also told Ayala and Brown Jr that her family has different customs and urged them to leave the premises.
While the employee repeatedly asked the couple to leave, none of the other workers in the restaurant enforced the order.
Another worker in the restaurant agreed with the couple that her colleague was out of line when she asked them to leave because of their sexuality.
Gay couple didn’t go to Bronx restaurant to be ‘judged’.
“Now that we have to go somewhere and be kicked out because of our sexual preference is just mind-blowing,” Brown Jr told News 12.
Ayala added: “Who I love shouldn’t define where I shop or eat at. I came here to get service, not to get judged.”
The couple subsequently cancelled their order and demanded a refund. They also filed a complaint with local police, which led to the restaurant issuing an apology.
They want to offer the couple their sincerest apology and a free meal.
In a statement provided to News 12, Boyd Cole of La Isla Cuchifrito restaurant said the management “in no way” condones the comments made by the employee.
“They have been in this community for over 20 years and have never dealt with something like this,” Cole added.
“They want to offer the couple their sincerest apology and a free meal.”
The restaurant also confirmed that the employee was let go on Saturday (16 January) following the incident.
