Oct. 9, Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms claimed she was denied a seat at an Atlanta restaurant due to her casual attire, which “violated” the establishment’s dress code.
Bottoms posted about the encounter on her X account. The politician admitted that she was not in the specified “business casual” dress code, but other patrons did not meet the requirement either. She observed patrons in all forms of casual clothing such as “shorts, baseball caps, and flip flops in the restaurant.”
I was AGAIN told by a hostess that I could not be seated in an Atlanta area restaurant (not the same one as last time) because I had on “yoga” pants, which was supposedly against their “strictly enforced” business casual policy. After I pointed out that there were patrons, none…
— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) October 9, 2024
The former Mayor observed that other seated restaurant customers did not look like her. Bottoms, seemingly, questioned her reoccurring experience, “It can’t be just me.”
The Georgia resident refused to name the “Atlanta area” restaurant to avoid sending harassment its way.
This is not the first time Mayor Lance Bottoms allegedly experienced this type of treatment by an Atlanta eatery. In April 2022, Bottoms was turned away from Capital Grille, located in the Perimeter Mall.
Keisha Lance Bottoms was turned away from Capital Grille for ‘wearing leggings’ https://t.co/l1sqQ6J3Fl pic.twitter.com/aUxDUcqXdY
— celebitchy (@celebitchy) April 18, 2022
During that encounter, Bottoms’s chosen attire was leggings, NBC reported. In a now-deleted X post, Bottoms suggested Capital Grille was selective in choosing the customers who entered the establishment.
“Asked if I could sit in the bar area and was told, ‘No.’ Rules are the rules, just wonder if the woman who came in immediately after me, who I did not see come back out, was also denied service.”
This time around, Bottoms is hoping to speak with the owner of the establishment to get a better understanding of how the dress code is enforced.
Atlanta is known and celebrated for its robust cultural scene. However, the city’s restaurant industry can’t seem to catch a break.
In October 2023, TikTok food critic Kieth Lee went to Atlanta as a part of his food tour to sample food from local restaurants. The tour did not end well. While Lee does not always find delicious food in all major cities, he is able to find food. The former MMA fighter made more than one review without food. He noted long wait times, inconsistent hours of operation, and strange “rules” as the reasons for his inability to order.
@keith_lee125 The Real Milk & Honey taste test would you try it ? #foodcritic ♬ original sound – Keith Lee
Lee’s Atlanta tour led to a slew of discourse on social media. People from all over the country chimed in to share their experiences about dining in Atlanta.
The reviews are still out on the reason for Bottoms’s Atlanta experience. Hopefully, she can partner with the restaurant owner to gain clarity on rule enforcement.
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