Umi Sushi does not allow stomping in Air Force 1’s
Racism Score: 4.0
Imagine getting ready for a nice day or night out on the town. You look in the closet, select the right outfit, get dressed, and then put on a nice pair of shoes to complement the outfit. Seems like a simple life task, rinse, and repeat.
Then imagine showing up to an establishment, whether it be a restaurant or night club, and being turned away because you do not meet the dress code. If you have not experienced this situation, bravo to you.
In Atlanta, GA at Umi Sushi, a Black male patron by the name of William Johnson was asked to leave because of shoes. Johnson was wearing Air Force 1’s which was a violation of Umi Sushi’s code.
Currently, the dress code is listed as follows on their website:
We are unaware if this was a recent update that removed tennis shoes from the dress code, but tennis shoes/sneakers are not listed. However, …STRICTKLY ENFORCED is present. Not Soup Nazi strict, but strict.
We can personally attest to this type of discriminatory behavior from restaurants and clubs and it is an issue for many Black men.
Establishments can develop and enforce dress codes how they see fit; however, some dress codes at times seem intentionally designed to keep Black people out.
This video shared for educational purposes from SupremDreams_1 (Mark Phillips) is an excellent example of what plenty of Black men deal with when trying to enter certain clubs or restaurants.
Some people will say “just follow the dress code.” We say, restaurants can use common sense. As Williams frustratingly pointed out, a white woman was allowed to enter and dine with Adidas sneakers on.
All we are looking for is consistency! It is infuriating to be denied when you see other people let in who are wearing the EXACT. SAME. THING.
UMI Sushi issued an apology (scroll to the end to view) and they decided to close until November 5th to think about their actions.
If this were your favorite restaurant or a place you really enjoy, would you still go?
