Jason Aldean's bar owners address claim man was told to leave because of race
TC Restaurant Group has issued a statement to FOX 17 News regarding a viral post in which a woman claims her husband and several other black men were turned away from Jason Aldean's Kitchen + Rooftop Bar because of their race.
"We strive to be one of the most welcoming establishments in Nashville and are horrified by these reports," the statement read. "Our leadership team is investigating this situation and will take action should we find that any of our employees or third-party security contractors violated our policies. We appreciate those who have brought this to our attention."
On Saturday, Laura Murphy shared a Facebook post claiming that her husband was told he couldn't wear a hoodie inside the bar and had to leave while visiting Nashville one week earlier.
She said the group walked up the stairway entrance before her husband was stopped by a bouncer who said he couldn't enter because he was wearing a hoodie.
Her husband asked if he could take it off, but was reportedly told no and that he had to leave.
As the group exited the area, Murphy said she noticed three other black men were at the bottom of the stairs watching other people enter the building.
The three men had reportedly also been turned away because of a dress code violation, but some weren't wearing hoodies, according to Murphy.
Murphy said she checked Jason Aldean's Kitchen + Rooftop Bar's official website for a dress code policy but couldn't find any information related to it.
She also noted that she saw numerous white people coming out of the bar with hoodies on.
Murphy said she asked several people if they were asked to leave and they all said no, adding that they had been there for hours.
Additionally, two white men who walked in after the incident were reportedly allowed to enter by removing their hoodies.
Murphy said she confronted the bouncer and asked why the other men were allowed to enter after removing their hoodies and her husband was denied the same option.
She added that a manager attempted to intervene in the situation, which resulted in her reportedly running after one of Murphy's friends screaming and an associate yelling at her that she was going to lose her job.
Murphy said she received a call from a third party security service owner who apologized about the reported incident.
She also noted the man, like Murphy's husband, is a black man who is married to a white woman and said he understood the situation.
