Good Old Fashioned Racism Is Still Alive & Well...

[indierich06]

...At Pizza Hut.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/12/07/pizza-hut-accused-of-racism-after-black-footballers-asked-to-pay-up-front-115875-22766608/

PIZZA Hut was accused of racism yesterday after asking a group of black professional footballers to pay in advance for their meals.

The demand was made as a table of white youngsters seated nearby were allowed to settle up after eating.

Five AFC Bournemouth players were stunned when a duty manager told them to pay up front because of “the way you lot look”.

When they refused, staff claimed they were being “disruptive” and called the police.

Officers arrived at the restaurant but took no action after the players, including £2,000-a-week first-team regulars Anton Robinson, Liam Feeney and Marvin Bartley, agreed to leave.

Pizza Hut last night apologised to the League One stars and admitted they had been treated “very shabbily” but insisted there was no racism.

However, midfielder Mr Robinson, 24, said later: “The only thing that was different was the colour of our skins.”

Revealing his outrage on Facebook, he added: “I asked ‘has anyone else had to pay before they eat?’. He replied ‘no, but it’s the way you lot look’. I was gonna tear the place up but then it would just prove that he was right not to give us our food. The fact we left without even raising our voices will count against him.”

And Mr Bartley, 23, fumed: “It was 100 per cent a race issue. If it wasn’t then I would like to know what it was.” He said the manager told them he was asking them to pay because some people had earlier run off without doing so.

The defender added: “There was a bigger group of white lads aged about 17 and 18 in there and I asked if they had to pay and he said he wasn’t going to answer that.

“I went over and asked the group myself whether they had to pay in advance and they said they hadn’t.

“We were smartly dressed in jeans and jumpers or cardigans and the other group wore tracksuits and hooded tops.

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“I asked if it was because we were black and he again said he wasn’t going to answer and we would have to pay or he would call the police.

“I told him to call them as we hadn’t done anything wrong. The police turned up and asked us what had happened. One officer spoke to the other customers and asked them how we had behaved and everybody was fine with us. Some of the lads went somewhere else but I lost my appetite and went home.”

The group, also including another black player Mitchell Nelson, 21, and white team-mate Shaun Cooper, 27, had gone to Pizza Hut for lunch last Thursday.

Midfielder Mr Feeney, 23, commented: “The fact that there were other groups of white lads younger than us who weren’t asked to pay in advance didn’t really leave anything else for it to be.”

Their treatment has sparked anger among anti-racism groups.

Alison Vaughan, of football campaign group Kick It Out, said: “We would expect that such a high-profile company would ensure all staff are fully trained on issues of equality.”

And Dorset Race Equality Council boss Adnan Chaudry said: “If Pizza Hut is saying that it wasn’t racially motivated then I find that incredible.”

A football club spokesman said: “In this day and age, it is upsetting to hear that people are treated differently because of the colour of their skin.”

But a Pizza Hut spokesman insisted the incident was not racist.

He added: “We have had a spate of customers leaving without paying so were advised by the police to ask people to pay for their meal before dining.

“We have been doing this at our discretion, and in this case the situation was poorly handled. We have contacted the customers concerned to apologise for any offence caused.”

 

[fosseboy83]

shocker!

 

[Matt_B]

a good, healthy mid season lunch

 

[fosseboy83]

a good, healthy mid season lunch

tbf they didn't get fed:icon_bigg

 

[Willlow]

What a non-story!

A group of my friends went to Pizza Hut in Fosse Park and were asked to pay beforehand and as mentioned in the article they do ask groups (normally lads) to pay up front now and again.

 

[lazzer]

What a non-story!

A group of my friends went to Pizza Hut in Fosse Park and were asked to pay beforehand and as mentioned in the article they do ask groups (normally lads) to pay up front now and again.

I remember that. Leeroy and Denzil were livid and Winston still refuses to use the place.

 

[fitz]

What a non-story!

A group of my friends went to Pizza Hut in Fosse Park and were asked to pay beforehand and as mentioned in the article they do ask groups (normally lads) to pay up front now and again.

You'd think a common sense approach would be to ask everyone to pay up front, then you can't be accused of being racist or something else daft.

I do like how they seem to think jeans are smart dress and have something against those wearing hooded tops

 

[fitz]

"He replied ‘no, but it’s the way you lot look’. I was gonna tear the place up but then it would just prove that he was right not to give us our food. The fact we left without even raising our voices will count against him.”

What is their objection if they openly admit that is their mentality?

 

[The Old Fox]

I think that this is a positive story: it is good that a national newspaper should expect us to be shocked by casual racism. As a middle-aged white man I am, but I suspect that many black youths will be wondering why this particular case should be worthy of comment.

 

[Graz]

And I like the way they said "there was a group of lads, younger than us"...

That's ageist! Disgraceful.

To be fair, it is bad if they were the only ones asked to pay up front. And the manager refusing to answer when they asked if it was race related (although I imagine that was phrased "yo iz it cos I is black?") probably didn't help...

 

[Willlow]

You'd think a common sense approach would be to ask everyone to pay up front, then you can't be accused of being racist or something else daft.

I do like how they seem to think jeans are smart dress and have something against those wearing hooded tops

It is only racist when somebody kicks up a fuss about it.

 

[Hazzman]

a good, healthy mid season lunch

Very common diet for footballers. Never noticed the Domino's bloke at City every Full Time?

 

[Graz]

tbf they didn't get fed:icon_bigg

I'm sure they still ate.

Probably went to KFC

 

[homer]

I bet that Richie Wellens is behind this whole thing...

 

[tedfoxxx]

They didn't even let Mungongo in.

 

[Ian Marshall]

Notice they used Gareth Southgate in their ad campaign all those years ago, not say Paul Ince.

 

[Mawsley]

It's when things like this happen I always think to myself "What would ****a Kinte have done?"

I'd imagine in this situation he would have been incensed.

It's bad enough to be humiliated by being stripped naked, probed in every orifice and branded with a hot iron, before being put on a slave ship for three months and renamed Toby.

To go through all of that and then be refused a slice of pizza unless you'd paid in advance is simply unacceptable.

 

[jb5000]

If I wasn't already boycotting Pizza Hut for making shit pizzas, I might consider boycotting them for this.

 

[Cate Fox]

It's when things like this happen I always think to myself "What would ****a Kinte have done?"

I'd imagine in this situation he would have been incensed.

It's bad enough to be humiliated by being stripped naked, probed in every orifice and branded with a hot iron, before being put on a slave ship for three months and renamed Toby.

To go through all of that and then be refused a slice of pizza unless you'd paid in advance is simply unacceptable.

I feel so un-PC for this, but :icon_lol:

 

[manxfox]

The lads should be grateful they didnt have to eat that shite that Pizza Hut serve up. By not serving them the manager was doing them a favour