Muslim Woman Fooled Into Eating Bacon By TGI Friday’s Waiter [Video]
Garland, TX – A TGI Friday’s restaurant is courting controversy this week after a Muslim woman was allegedly tricked by the waitstaff into consuming bacon, which is not on the menu for servants of Allah.
ABC News reports that Nicole Queen, a converted Muslim, ordered a Cobb salad without bacon only to find crumbles of the unclean meat in her drinking straw when her order finally came.
Queen recalled that the lunch date began with chilly service from her waiter.
“It was kind of like being taken care of behind bars,” she recalled.
She said that the waiter was put off by her no-bacon request, and apparently agreed with her friends to continue being cordial.
“Me and my friends were like, ‘Let’s be extra nice to him, because maybe he’s not comfortable with us because we’re Muslim,'” Queen said.
Her initial waiter stopped serving the party for unknown reasons, and when it came time for the check, the new server asked Queen if she’d like a to-go drink. She felt it was strange, having never been offered a to-go beverage before, but took the new server up on the offer, thinking it would ease the tension.
When she got to her car, she realized that there were bacon crumbles in the straw. And she knows what it tastes like because she ate it all the time before she converted.
“I knew right away that that it was bacon, and I knew right away that it had been placed in my straw because that was the first thing that went into my mouth,” Queen said.
She complained to the manager, who disposed of the cup and said that waitstaff employees aren’t allowed in the kitchen, and couldn’t have put bacon in her drink.
“Everything that came out of his mouth was denial and excuses,” she said.
Later, she received a call from a TGI Friday’s executive who apologized for the way she was treated. The company later released the following statement to the press:
“We take this matter very seriously, as it would represent a gross violation of our values and the promise we make to each of our guests. We have been in contact with the guest, and we are working with her to investigate. We will take any appropriate actions necessary based on the findings.”
Queen said that she doesn’t plan to sue, and hopes this can be a teachable moment. Having converted from Christianity to Islam six years ago, Queen remarked that the TGI Friday’s incident left a new impression on her, as well. “They made me feel like a minority, and I’ve never known what that feels like,” she said.
[Image: Shutterstock]
