A restaurant has issued an apology to a black woman and her son after they denied them service over the boy's choice of clothing.
Marcia Grant and her son Dallas were repeatedly told that they couldn't eat at Ouzo Bay in Baltimore in a video she recorded and posted on social media on Monday.
Watch the disturbing video below:"They're telling me that my son can't eat here because there's no athletic wear? He's nine," Grant said. "And there's kids out there with tennis shoes on."
Dallas can be seen in the video wearing sneakers, gym shorts, and an Air Jordan T-shirt. Meanwhile, another child, who had recently eaten there, was filmed wearing similar clothes in the video outside. The only difference was that this child was white.
Atlas Restaurant Group, which owns Ouzo Bay and a number of other restaurants in the area, described the incident as "incredibly disturbing" and said that they had put the manager involved on "indefinite leave".
The group said in a statement published on social media on Monday evening: "While dress codes across Atlas properties are the result of ongoing input from customers, in no way are they intended to be discriminatory."
The restaurant continued: "This should never have happened, the manager seen in the video has been placed on indefinite leave. We are sickened by this incident. We sincerely apologize to Marcia Grant, her son, and everyone impacted by this painful incident."
The restaurant group will not be requiring anyone under the age of 12 to follow the dress code at its establishments.
Per USA Today, the group has previously come under fire for its decision to introduce dress code requirements perceived to discriminate against Black and Latino customers last September.
After this criticism, they altered the policy slightly, notably removing the line that said management can enforce these policies within its discretion."
According to the Baltimore Sun, Atlas founder Alex Smith said the allegations of racism against him were "unfortunate."
