MARYSVILLE, Wash. — A pregnant woman says she was denied service at a restaurant because her belly was showing, according to KIRO.
Charisha Gobin said she went to the Buzz Inn Steakhouse in Marysville, Washington on Sunday night in a black crop top and a long skirt.
“The waitress/bartender stopped us and said, ‘I’m sorry, you can’t be here in that shirt.’ I said, ‘Are you being serious with me right now?’ And she said, ‘Yep, you can’t be here,’” Gobin told KIRO.
The server said the restaurant has a “no shoes, no shirt, no service” policy and that anyone with a crop top would have been asked to cover up. But Gobin says she doesn’t buy it.
“I was wearing a shirt, it had sleeves. I didn’t even have cleavage showing,” she said. She also told KIRO she has never heard of a crop top not counting as a shirt.
Gobin said she felt body shamed because her “belly was bigger and sticking out. But had it been anyone else, I don’t think there would’ve been any problem whatsoever.”
Gobin posted about the incident on Facebook and said the responses have been overwhelmingly positive.
Gobin said she and her family went to another restaurant after being turned away at the Buzz Inn and there was no problem.
Buzz Inn sent the following statement to KIRO:
“We sincerely apologize for the misunderstanding and will cover with all staff as to how to not overly enforce a rule that is intended to make all guests feel comfortable. Our apologies for the misunderstanding. The server in question has been with our company and a great employee for almost 20 years and was trying to use her best judgement (sic) and by no means was trying to be demeaning to the guest again our sincere apology for misunderstanding.”
Buzz Inn did not respond to KIRO’s question regarding if anyone wearing the crop top would’ve been asked to cover up.
