Man claims he was kicked out of restaurant because he was wearing a 'large' cross necklace
An Indianapolis restaurant in Indiana allegedly asked a customer to leave the eatery because of the size of a cross necklace he was wearing, according to reports.
The man, identified as Jerry Bond, claimed that he was at Kilroy’s Bar N’ Grill with his minister and some of his friends last month when the incident occurred. Bond said that he was singled out by a bouncer who came up to him and told him to either remove his cross necklace or leave the restaurant.
"They said, 'Well, you've got to remove your necklace, because it's a large necklace,'" Bond told WRAL.
"The bouncer comes back over, really bad attitude, [and says] ‘We’re going to ask you to either tuck your necklace, remove it, or you have to leave,” Bond added.
Bond then said: "I’m not going to tuck my cross in because of my beliefs. I believe in wearing this cross and what it represents."
Reports state that the restaurant had posted a dress code at the entrance of the eatery, stating that the establishment bans large chains worn outside of shirts.
"It was a horrible situation and I mean it was embarrassing just to go somewhere and try to enjoy friends and company and get embarrassed like this for no reason,” Bond told FOX8. "It's like I was just singled out for no reason."
Bond reportedly said that, after the bouncer approached him twice, he left the restaurant while his friends stayed behind to talk to the manager.
Minister David Latimore said, "So, I asked him, 'What is a large necklace? What does that mean? What size is large?' He couldn't tell me," according to FOX8.
Latimore added that he later followed up with the establishment in an email asking about their policy on large chains and recounted the incident which occurred with his friend. However, he said that he received no response from the establishment.
The minister said: "If you have a business in this city, you should treat your customers a certain way. And for us to turn a blind eye to it and continue to treat customers this way is just not right. It's something I won't stand for.”
Latimore also posted a video on Facebook about the encounter and said that the manager's demeanour changed when he realized he was talking to a minister.
The minister said: "He began to apologize. I don't think he would've apologized at all had I not been a preacher."
He also added that another bouncer in the restaurant later approached him and apologized over the incident and said that the bouncer at their table had taken things "way too far."
Latimore said that he believes his friend was singled out because the group noticed other people sitting inside the restaurant wearing larger necklaces.
The minister's Facebook post has become viral and has been shared more than 40,000 times as of Monday night.
Reports state that the group has planned a protest on Saturday in response to the eatery's bizarre policy.