Boy, 4, Thrown Out For Shirt: Tavern Tosses Family Over ‘Gentlemen’s Dress Code’ Violation
A boy, 4, was thrown out for a shirt he was wearing when he tried to dine at the Tavern at Phipps Plaza with his family. Lewis Roberts had been proud to don his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt, but apparently those working that day felt it violated their “Gentlemen’s Dress Code.”
According to 11 Alive, Lewis Roberts and his family stopped at the Tavern to grab a bite to eat. The hostess, however, said that they could not dine there because of his sleeveless t-shirt. The restaurant’s dress code indicates that “gentlemen” can never wear sleeveless shirts there. Hats and jerseys on men are prohibited after 4 pm.
The family asked to speak to a manager, and that manager concurred with the hostess. The manager claimed that the dress code was for “gentlemen of all ages,” and the boy would not be allowed to dine there in his TMNT sleeveless shirt. Ultimately, the boy was thrown out for his shirt as the family departed the restaurant.
Naturally the story has gone viral. The restaurant has since released a statement indicating that the hostess and manager made a mistake. According to the New York Daily News, company spokesperson Amber Stewart said that the “Gentlemen’s Dress Code” does not apply to children and women, adding, “It was an embarrassing misunderstanding on our part.” Stewart goes on to say that the manager in question was still in training and throwing the boy out for his shirt was a “gross misunderstanding of our policy.”
The restaurant says that it has reached out to the young boy’s family, and Lewis’ family indicates that they have accepted the apology. They say that they will head back to the Tavern to dine at some point, and it sounds like they fully intend on having Lewis wear his sleeveless TMNT shirt. Of course, this isn’t the first time a restaurant has made headlines over a customer’s clothing choice.
A few months ago, as reported by The Inquisitr, a Morton’s in Nashville made a fuss over a diner wearing a beanie. As it happened, that customer was a cancer patient, and there isn’t any specific wording about hats in the restaurant’s dress code. That situation got a bit out of control, as the manager reportedly tried to involve the police. Ultimately the restaurant apologized and even made a donation to St. Jude’s Hospital on the customer’s behalf.
Luckily this incident didn’t spiral nearly so out of control, and the reason for the dining denial wasn’t quite so offensive. It certainly is a bit of a snafu, though, to throw a boy out of a restaurant over a sleeveless t-shirt. Here’s hoping that manager gets a bit more training before causing any further headlines.
[Image via Christian Post]
