Restaurant chain Great White, owned by two Aussies, has responded after it was accused of being racist against Asian customers in a video that went viral on social media.
The allegations were raised last week by influencer Cassidy Cho, who claimed she was segregated to the corner of the restaurant along with other Asian patrons when visiting Great White’s chain in Melrose, West Hollywood.
“I don’t know if it’s just me, but they put all the Asians in one corner,” Cho claimed while dining and filming the seating arrangement at the restaurant, which is operated by Australian men Sam Trude and Sam Cooper.
“Everybody’s white in the main seating area,” Cho said in the clip. She later expressed surprise when a space became available next to her in the corner of the restaurant and was again filled by Asian customers.
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Some people in the comments section of Cho’s video claimed they had similar experiences at the establishment, and in a follow-up interview with NBC LA, Cho said she “won’t go back” to Great White if “those are the kinds of behaviours they are pushing forward”.
“So many people were saying that’s a shared experience that we’ve had,” Cho said.
In a statement after the video had gone viral online, Trude and Cooper denied the allegations and described them as “completely false”.
“Any notion that we have mistreated customers or employees or seated people based on their ethnicity is absolutely outrageous and completely false,” the pair told the Daily Mail.
“Everyone is welcome here, that has never changed and it never will,” they added.
Trude and Cooper — who are said to have launched Great White because they were inspired by their love of Australia — went on to say the restaurant chain has always stood for “openness, warmth, and hospitality”.
PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out to Great White for comment.
Alongside West Hollywood, Great White has locations in Brentwood, New York, and Venice, the last of which is where its first venue opened eight years ago.
Reflecting on her video, Cho expressed gratitude to those who “amplified” her message.
“Without you guys, this wouldn’t have happened,” she said.
Lead images: Instagram
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