Memo to restaurant general managers: Don’t refer to your patrons as “ghetto,” and definitely don’t do so in an email. And if you do have to send that email, make sure your staffer deletes the comment before she forwards it to the person you were describing. A former GM at Ruth’s Chris Steak House demonstrated the lesson by reportedly doing just that, leading to his dismissal.

The Jackson Free Press reports the Ruth’s Chris GM used the term as a racial slur to describe a reservation made by a black woman.

“Another ghetto Sat. Party. They really love us don’t they. Especially on Sat,” the GM wrote as he forwarded the reservation to a sales and marketing manager. When the recipient confirmed the reservation to the woman who made the reservation, she spread it around to friends and started a Facebook group calling for a Ruth’s Christ boycott.

An excerpt from a statement about the incident:

“Ownership of Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Ridgeland has been made aware of a very unfortunate situation, and has taken the appropriate steps to address the situation. As a result, the general manager of the restaurant has been terminated of his duties. Rest assured, this isolated inappropriate comment does not in any way reflect who we are as a restaurant or a company.

The statement adds that Ruth’s Christ has “sought a diverse clientele” since it opened in the area.

Ruth’s Chris Employee Fired Over E-Mail [Jackson Free Press]
(Thanks, Brett!)

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