Texas Roadhouse Told Breastfeeding Mom To Cover Up; She Sued

LOUISVILLE, KY — A Louisville mother is suing Texas Roadhouse after she says a worker tried to cover her infant and her breast with a napkin as she breastfed. Sadie Durbin was dining at one of the chain's Louisville restaurants Thursday near U.S. Route 60 and Ten Pin Lane. When she started nursing her 7-week-old baby, a worker told her another patron had complained. He asked her to cover up.

The worker demanded she "cover her breast and her infant child's face while the infant child breastfed," according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Jefferson County Circuit Court. When she told him that breastfeeding is protected under state law, he repeated his request.

"He didn't apologize. He didn't acknowledge he was wrong," Durbin wrote in a Facebook post Thursday. "He said 'well as a manager I am obligated to tell you we are getting complaints and ask you to cover up', threw the napkin down in front of me, and angrily walked away with a huff."

Durbin said the manager walked over to another patron who had complained and explained what had happened.

"I wish I'd at least been given the same respect when he tried throwing a napkin over my infant's head," wrote Durbin.

She said a trio of servers approached her and apologized for his actions. But the manager didn't return until she asked who all had complained.

"He finally came back to our table, threw his hands up and said angrily 'I'm not at liberty to tell you that. Listen lady, I've done nothing wrong,'" she wrote.

Her lawsuit says the worker caused her "extreme and severe emotional distress." She called the manager's actions "offensive and unwanted."

Travis Doster, a spokesman for the restaurant, told the Louisville Courier Journal that the manager had worked for the company for two decades. He confirmed that other patrons had complained.

"He was trying to find a compromise between guests," the spokesman said.

The worker, who has received death threats following the incident, is taking paid time off over how he handled the situation, but is expected to return to work soon. The restaurant said it supports women's rights to breastfeed.

Patch has reached out to Texas Roadhouse for comment and will update when we hear back.

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