Hawks' Wilkins Receives Apology After Eatery Denies Him Service

ATLANTA — The Buckhead restaurant accused of racism for refusing to serve NBA legend Dominique Wilkins over the weekend issued an official apology and a clarification of its dress policy.

“We sincerely apologize to Dominique Wilkins for the events that occurred on May 22,” a statement sent Monday to Patch from Le Bilboquet read. “No patron of our restaurants should be made to feel unwelcome or less than, and for that we are deeply sorry. It was never our intention to make Mr. Wilkins — or anyone else for that matter — feel that way at our restaurant.”

The restaurant owners went further to say that they recognized concerns with their dress code.

“As an upscale, white table cloth, fine dining restaurant, we have a dress code in place to provide an experience that meets both our brand standards and our clientele’s expectations,” the statement continued. “While we will continue to have a dress code, we realize our current policy is subject to interpretation and can be unintentionally demeaning and divisive.”

Wilkins said he was denied service at the posh Buckhead restaurant over the weekend because he is Black.

“Never have I felt prejudice or been turned away because of the color of my skin,” he tweeted on Saturday.

The dust-up made heavy rotation on local and national news outlets, prompting a response from the restaurant, apologizing for his experience and “any confusion” around the dress code.

When reached by Patch, a spokesperson for the restaurant replied with the apology letter that insisted that the eatery “will not tolerate implicit or explicit bias.”

The letter also spelled out these proposed changes:

• Providing diversity, equity and inclusion training to all current employees and require the same for onboarding new staff.
• Reevaluating the dress code and “eliminating any ambiguities that may lead to misunderstanding.”
• Establishing more rigid protocols to ensure all policies are consistently and equitably enforced. That includes the dress code, or whatever new form it may take. This will include providing staff with communication training to make certain all messages to guests are clearly conveyed and appropriately delivered.