The Prime Rib in Washington, D.C., is a place known for its pricey, upscale sit-down dinners. But according to Ron Gage and Henry McKinnon, their romantic night out was interrupted by a server who felt the couple shouldn’t share their dessert.
“When it came time for dessert, we asked for one sundae with two spoons,” Gage told the Washington Post. “[The server] said he would bring it in two separate dishes. He said, ‘It wouldn’t look right with two gentlemen eating out of the same sundae. It doesn’t go with the ambiance of the restaurant.’”
The men said they were immediately shocked by their server’s statement, especially since they had all gotten along well throughout the night. The couple eventually left the restaurant, tipping only 15 percent, instead of their standard 20. The next day, the two men shared their story on Facebook and Yelp.
The Prime Rib’s general manager, James MacLeod, had not yet talked to the server when the Washington Post contacted him about the couple’s complaint. MacLeod explained to the Post that English isn’t the server’s first language. However, the manager plans to contact Gage and McKinnon in the wake of the incident.
“The waiter in question is Bulgarian, and he does speak four different languages,” MacLeod explained to the Post. “I am not sure if he got confused as to what he was saying, or how he was saying it.”
Regardless, MacLeod was insistent that the server’s statement was not acceptable at the Prime Rib.
“I cannot believe that a waiter would have ever said anything like that,” MacLeod stated. “There’s no way we would condone anything remotely like this.”
In an age where open bigotry collides with social media, more stories like this have to come to light as of late. In March, one California server demanded patrons prove their citizenship status before being served, and a Colorado Texas Roadhouse server was fired after tweeting she would “kill as many Mexicans as I could in one night” if there was a “purge” in real life.
