By Hojun Choi
The employee of a Mediterranean restaurant in Uptown Dallas who was seen in a video kicking out a woman because she was wearing shorts has been fired, the business told The Dallas Morning News.
Dominque Nicole and a friend were at Baboush Mediterranean Mezza and Bar, located on the 3600 block of McKinney Avenue, for brunch Sunday, when they were denied service, according to a KXAS-TV (NBC5) report. Nicole, who is Black, told the news station the way she and her friend were treated was an example of “racism and discrimination.”
Some of the encounter between Nicole, her friend and the restaurant employee was captured on video and posted to YouTube. As of 5:15 p.m. Thursday, the video had more than 6,800 views.
In the video, the person recording can be heard asking what the dress code of the restaurant is. The employee, who is not wearing a visible name tag in the video, can be heard responding, “You can see it right there, sir; it’s written,” before asking Nicole and her friend to leave the restaurant.
The employee refuses to say his name and locks the business door after Nicole and the person filming the video leave the restaurant. He then opens the door and throws a bag, which belonged to Nicole’s friend, onto a table outside.
“They said my friend Dominique can’t wear shorts, but there’s people in here with shorts on,” the person who filmed the encounter says in the video, which showed other customers with shorts on inside the business.
The Dallas area has experienced extreme heat this week. Even with temperatures in the mid-90s, as was the case on the day Nicole and her friend were kicked out of Baboush, the heat index can reach triple-digit levels.
Nicole can be heard saying she does not “understand the issue,” as she had been at the restaurant before.
Al Turk, director of operations for the restaurant, said the employee seen in the video was wrong and fired Monday, a day following the encounter. Turk said restaurant employees will go through training to prevent similar events from occurring.
The actions of the employee who kicked out Nicole and her friend do not reflect the “culture and values” of the restaurant, Turk said.
Turk said the restaurant has a “casual” dress code meant to prevent someone from coming in barefoot, shirtless or in a swimsuit. After watching the video, Turk said Nicole was not in violation of the restaurant’s rules.
Even when the restaurant’s dress code is violated, Turk said customers should not be treated the way Nicole and her friend were treated.
“We don’t kick people out like that — not in 2023 and not ever,” Turk said. “There is a respectful way of speaking to people.”
On Monday, which also marked the Juneteenth holiday, the restaurant posted an apology on its Instagram page and condemned the actions of the former employee.
“We will do better to ensure that every guest that visits Baboush feels safe and welcome,” the post read.
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas- at the bottom.
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