ATLANTA — The Georgia NAACP has offered an urgent deadline to a popular Buckhead restaurant accused of not properly addressing a racial epithet used by a worker while serving an Atlanta radio personality.
Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs joined radio host Darlene McCoy Jackson in a news conference Friday to express that Woody's Cheesesteaks response has been less than satisfactory and is asking for restaurant leadership to do better.
McCoy Jackson, who is part of the Praise 103 team, shared her experience at Woody's Cheesesteaks on Irby Avenue in an Instagram live video on June 23 that gained significant attention. According to her, when she placed her order, an employee used the term "darky" to identify her on the receipt. When she asked him to change it, even spelling her name, he refused, she claimed.
"An unimaginable encounter," McCoy Jackson said Friday. "It is disheartening to see such blatant racism."
After the encounter, McCoy Jackson said she canceled her order and walked away, telling her social media followers about the occurrence. She also looked up Google and Yelp reviews of the restaurant and learned others had made similar claims before her visit, even mentioning what appeared to be the same employee.
She hired legal representation, attorney James Walker, Jr., who said the reviews appear to be a pattern of behavior. When they brought it up to Woody's legal council, according to Walker, they questioned the authenticity of the reviews and dismissed them.
"They refused to sit down with us," McCoy Jackson said, speaking on her attempts to address what she called unacceptable behavior.
Her goal is reconciliation, training and a conversation. Walker said Woody's has so far refused their attempts.
Walker said he asked restaurant leadership to meet with the NAACP. They have not agreed to those terms and offered to navigate its own diversity and inclusion training, according to Walker. In other communications, the attorney said the restaurant has not addressed some of his messages.
Walker said this is how it has escalated to what he's dubbed "a no-nonsense situation."
"I don't want you to self-check yourself," he said. "They can't just fix it internally."
Now the NAACP is giving Woody's seven days to respond to the group and to McCoy Jackson to help bring the restaurant "into compliance with normal civility."
"Every single option is on the table," Griggs said, emphasizing it's up to Woody's to reach out and reconcile - not just settle. "We're coming with an olive branch here."
A lawsuit has yet to be filed. To McCoy Jackson, legal remedies or a settlement won't erase the experience she had.
"I just felt humiliated," she said tearing up. "It's important to me, for my community to know where they can go and spend their money."
She wants the worker to be educated and understand the scope of his actions, which she views as the true solution to preventing another situation like this from happening to someone else. Her lawyer said he'd be satisfied with the worker's termination.
According to Walker, Woody's has claimed within local media that the incident was a mistake and that there was a language barrier. He and McCoy Jackson have dismissed the claim as, according to them, the employee spelled the racial epithet correctly and doubled down on his decision even when asked to change it.
Walker said the paperwork is ready to pursue further legal action if Woody's does not meet the NAACP's deadline. McCoy Jackson said she will soon launch a social media app where people can post video reviews of restaurants.
"Woody's, you're on the clock," Griggs said.
Friday afternoon, the owner of the restaurant, Steven Renner, issued the following statement about the incident:
“This incident was deeply regrettable but not intentional.
Woody’s responded immediately when Mrs. Jackson shared her experience, apologized to her directly, and has been in dialogue with her team toward a resolution.
Nonetheless – and what I want to emphasize more than anything – is that our small business has decided, with Mrs. Jackson’s input, to use this as an opportunity to make us a better company for our customers and neighbor for our community.
The restaurant plans to use a third-party partner to conduct racial sensitivity and diversity training for its employees. They are reviewing its policies and employee handbook. They're also making other adjustments following the incident.