More than one month after two patrons of Cesar's restaurant claimed that a store manager made a derogatory statement to them, the restaurant's management wrote in a recent press release that it will institute a series of measures, including employee and manager training.
Two Cesar's patrons claim that a store manager allegedly said to them, 'Don't come back here again, faggots!' in early October after the two did not obey the restaurant's cash-only policy for outside dining. Cesar's management denies the allegations, and says it was nothing more than a disagreement with a customer over a long-term policy. 'Cesar's does not discriminate on sexual orientation, but will begin to institute a series of measures, including employee and manager training, to ensure that all feel welcome,' Cesar's management wrote. 'Cesar's appreciates and celebrates the diversity of the neighborhood it serves.'
'Cesar's ... categorically deny any derogatory reference made about the individual's sexuality,' Cesar's management also stated. 'The individual's sexual orientation never came into question.'
Tim Huynh and his friend, Michael Campbell, were dining outside at the Cesar's located on 2924 N. Broadway. Huynh told Windy City Times that they were unaware that outside eating is cash only, and both only had credit cards. When Campbell went inside to explain the situation to a store manager, the situation escalated, according to Huynh. ' [ The store manager ] came back out, threw the bill in Michael's face and told … Michael that they did not need our money, or customers like us,' Huynh wrote in an e-mail. 'Dumbfounded, we got up and walked away and then he [ the manager ] said 'Don't come back here again, faggots!'
'We feel confident that the incident is isolated and once 'the smoke has cleared' we will continue to be a place for everyone to patronize, but more importantly, feel comfortable in,' manager Yecenia Sanchez wrote in an e-mail response to Windy City Times' questions. 'Until now, there are some issues that are vague and don't seem to match up, only because there are so many different versions of the story. We need to make sure that we handle this carefully, as this is a delicate issue, and one that needs 110 percent attention.'
Sanchez added that Cesar's is very active in the GLBT community. 'We have created a place for everyone, mostly GLBT, to come and eat good food and enjoy killer margaritas. It is in our best interest to make sure that this situation is dealt with appropriately.'
'There is no problem here,' Cesar's employee Mike Rodriguez told Windy City Times. 'We have gay employees, we have gay customers. We have no problems with homosexuals whatsoever. That's our stance.'
In the press release, Cesar's management also claims that the incident was not their first run-in with the customer. According to both Campbell and Huynh, they have not had previous encounters with Cesar's.
In 2003, Windy City Times reported three separate incidents where Cesar's customers, including a lesbian couple, a lesbian and a gay man, claimed that they were discriminated against because of their sexual orientation.
