If you were thinking about going to Morton’s Steakhouse any time soon for a nice end-cut, you better take your hat off when you get there.
That’s probably what Robert Chambers might suggest, after he was told by the management staff to leave the premises for not taking his hat off. Chambers is a cancer patient who’s currently undergoing chemotherapy.
It all happened on Friday, Dec. 13 at the restaurant’s Nashville, Tenn. location when Chambers and a dining party of 16 went to Morton’s for a holiday celebration. In total, the bill came to over $2000 and management was told why Chambers had to wear his wool hat, but for some reason the group was still asked to leave and one of the staff people even told Chambers he needed a written doctor’s note if he wanted to keep his beanie on.
Soon after, word got out via social media and a firestorm against the steakhouse quickly ensued.
“As disturbing as the treatment of Mr. Chambers was, it is just as disturbing that not one of your employees stood up for the customer, wrote one Facebook user. “From the waitress, to the busboy, to the parking valet, nobody saw fit to question management and console a customer whom had been wronged.”
Remarkably, Chambers took the high road and decided to accept an apology from Morton’s and move on. The restaurant chain also announced it would donate $2,000 to St. Jude’s Children Hospital in Nashville to make some sort of amends.
“Mortan’s fans: We are aware of the situation that happened at our Nashville location over the weekend,” wrote Tim Whitlock, the restaurant’s COO and senior vice president. “We appreciate you all bringing it to our attention, and we have reached out to the parties involved and can assure you that all facts will be uncovered.”
Chambers then posted a reply: “I just had a 30-minute conversation with Morton’s COO Tim Whitlock,” he wrote. “He and I talked about Friday night and the unfortunate events. He was very apologetic and we had a good discussion. End result, Morton’s will make a donation in the amount of our check to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Apology accepted.”
However, it’s unlikely the backlash towards Morton’s will go away anytime soon and whether this incident will hurt the chain’s future sales remains to be seen.
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