The mayor of Santa Clara and Denny’s have responded to allegations of discrimination against a group of elderly Korean American customers who say they were denied service Easter Sunday, reports KCBS Radio.
The group decided to speak out on the subject recently, claiming that Denny’s has been unresponsive. Denny’s provided the following statement to KCBS Radio:
“Denny’s is committed to providing a welcoming environment for all our guests. Denny’s has not refused a meeting with Mr. Koh nor is the Denny’s franchise in Santa Clara aware of a request by the Department of Fair Employment and Housing to meet with Mr. Koh before today. Denny’s previously reached out to Mr. Koh in April and would be happy to meet with him and the DFEH to discuss the matter.”
The diners, including Army veteran Andrew Koh mentioned in the statement, claim that the restaurant’s manager became verbally abusive when they took too long to order food and told the group to leave.
Despite the statement from Denny’s, attorney Richard Konda from the Asian Law Alliance, representing the customers, claimed he has gotten no response from a letter and calls to the company.
The letter demanded that Denny’s management participate in a mediation session with state officials, according to NBC.
Santa Clara mayor Lisa Gilmor said she is disturbed by the claims. “That does not define who we are in this city and that should not be tolerated at all when a legitimate customer comes in for service,” said Gilmor, after viewing a video of the customers’ complaint. She said she instructed the city manager to investigate the claims.
Konda says there has been a lot of public support for the group of Korean American seniors. “It’s one of those kinds of incidents where people can identify with being treated unfairly,” he said.
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