Three recently fired waiters from New York's "21" Club, eatery of the rich and famous, say that it was their age and accents that got them fired, not drinking on the job or making a "derogatory gesture." OK, age discrimination is one thing, but accent bias? Oui, they say, according to this article:
- "There is an anti-French sentiment that appears to be in keeping with the times," the trio's lawyer Edward Hernstadt told the Daily News yesterday...The waiters claim that one manager, Jeffrey Sacchet, "expressed glee" over his perception that President Bush "hated the French."
He and another manager, Chris Haarsgaard, also ridiculed one man's accent and banned waiters from talking in French while allowing Spanish and Greek staff to speak in their native languages, the suit claims.
The restaurant says that two of the three were dumped for drinking wine on the job, and the third for making a "derogatory gesture" to a chef while arguing over a hamburger. "The waiters are seeking $375,000 in back wages and $5 million in punitive damages."
I don't even know what to say about this one!