Who owns Le Bilboquet? Dominique Wilkins claims Atlanta restaurant turned him away because he is Black
NBA legend Dominique Wilkins tweeted on May 22 about the racial discrimination he faced. The former professional basketball player, 61, alleged that Le Bilboquet, a French bistro in Atlanta, refused to serve him because he is black.
He said, “In my many years in the world, I’ve eaten at some of the greatest restaurants in the world, but never have I felt prejudice or been turned away because of the color of my skin, until today in #atlanta In @LeBilboquetAtl #turnedawaybecauseimblack.”
In my many years in the world, I’ve eaten at some of the greatest restaurants in the world, but never have I felt prejudice or been turned away because of the color of my skin, until today in #atlanta In @LeBilboquetAtl #turnedawaybecauseimblack pic.twitter.com/vh7zuyxH0K
— Dominique Wilkins 🏀 (@DWilkins21) May 22, 2021
After the restaurant got called out, a spokesperson issued a statement, mentioning the bistro’s dress code. “We, at Le Bilboquet, do our best to accommodate all of our guests. However, we have received consistent complaints from our patrons regarding other guest’s wardrobe choices,” the statement read. “As a result, to protect our restaurant’s culture, we installed a minimum standard in our ‘business casual’ attire dress code which includes jeans and sneakers but prohibits baseball caps and athletic clothing including sweat pants and tops. Though the definition of ‘casual’ is ever-evolving, we strive to maintain our policy requirements daily but it isn’t a perfect system.”
However, on Sunday, May 23, the restaurant shared another statement online, apologizing to Wilkins. The statement said: “We want to apologize to Mr. Wilkins for his experience at our restaurant and also for any confusion our dress code may have caused. We in no way intended for him to feel unwanted, and welcome an open dialogue with him. Our upscale dining experience and our brand’s culture is made up of multiple elements, which include our music, our food and our patrons’ attire. We continue to strive to manifest our dining experience in a way that is exciting and most importantly, inclusive.”
The policy reportedly states that collared shirts are suggested for gentlemen. Casualwear including baseball caps, flip-flops, slides, excessively revealing clothing, cut-offs, sweat pants, and athletic attire are considered too informal for the dining experience at Le Bilboquet, the policy adds.
However, Wilkins, speaking about the dress code, said, “They looked me up and down... and to add insult, talked about how my clothes were not appropriate when I was wearing designer casual pants and a shirt.”
Who owns Le Bilboquet?
Le Bilboquet, as per its website, originally opened in New York City’s Upper East Side as a 38-seat hotspot in 1986. After 27 years of success, the restaurant relocated to a larger space on East 60th Street in Manhattan in October 2013.
The founder of the chain of restaurants is Philippe Delgrange. Delgrange grew up in Cambrai, France, north of Paris in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. At the age of 18, he came to the US in the early '70s. He spent several years working in a perfume factory and worked other unusual jobs.
By the late '70s, Delgrange entered the hospitality business, working for what would become the famous Atrium Club. In 1986, he opened Le Bilboquet. He owns the restaurants, Le Bilboquet NY, Le Bilboquet Café, NY, Le Bilboquet Sag Harbor, Hamptons, Fleming’s by Le Bilboquet NY, Le Bilboquet Dallas and Le Bilboquet Atlanta.
Le Bilboquet Atlanta is owned by Delgrange and Rick Wahlstedt, a famous restaurateur and an internationally ranked professional Squash player. Wahlstedt's first foray into ownership came in 1987 when he opened Punsch, a French-Scandinavian restaurant on the upper west side of Manhattan.