A black restaurant owner scolded a room full of patrons on Sunday after some women began twerking in his business in Texas . The viral m...
A black restaurant owner scolded a room full of patrons on Sunday after some women began twerking in his business in Texas.
The viral moment that brought Kevin Kelley and his new restaurant, TRUE Kitchen + Kocktails in Dallas, into a media frenzy happened on Sunday evening.
According to Kelley, several woman had gotten onto tables and began twerking against a glass wall placed in one area of the restaurant.
Footage shared to social media showed a woman placing her hands against the wall and dancing to the upbeat music playing in the background.
Kevin Kelley (center) on Sunday confronted his restaurant patrons after some women reportedly stood on furniture twerk
'I invested a lot of money into buying this building and developing this concept so black people can have somewhere nice to go to,' Kelley begins, raising his voice at the crowd.
'Somewhere we can feel good about ourselves as a - stop the music!' he suddenly shouts, silencing the DJ to get the room's full attention.
'Real talk. All this twerking and s***...don't bring it here because we're a restaurant.'
Kelley then says that 75 per cent of his clientele are women, 'and I want men to show respect for themselves and how they carry themselves when they're here.
'So how can I tell men to respect themselves when you all are twerking on glass? If you want to do that, then get the f*** out of my restaurant. Because I did it for ourselves and I did it for our culture.'
The crowd gasps, but Kelley continues: 'Don't do it again. I don't want to hear it. If you don't like it, get out because I don't need your money.'
Kelley (center): 'If you want to do that, then get the f*** out of my restaurant. Because I did it for ourselves and I did it for our culture'
Pictured: one of the women who reportedly placed their hands on the glass wall and began twerking
Kelley released a statement on Monday that claimed the issue revolved around three tables of customers who continued to twerk after being approached by him.
'We created TRUE for it to be a place music could be enjoyed while we sit and eat. No song played is excuse to stand on out furniture and do what this lady did,' Kelley wrote, referring to the woman captured on camera.
'As for my delivery, I can assure you I was a gentleman earlier, but my nice words weren't respected. TRUE will be for some and not all and this is ok.'
Pictured: statement from Kevin Kelley regarding Sunday's incident
Also on Monday, Kelley told TMZ Live that he didn't have anything against twerking, but did not want it in his establishment.
The root of the debate was encapsulated in Kelley - and what others - may or may not define as 'classy' behavior.
'We have so many classy and nice black women who come to this restaurant that define what TRUE Kitchen + Kocktails is, and the actions of the women standing on the sofa and pushing on the glass to twerk is not that.'
He added: 'When we talk about advancing the culture, I'm mindful of how we all look...I'm very steadfast in making sure our guests carry themselves in the right way of this restaurant.
Kevin Kelley (pictured):'As for my delivery, I can assure you I was a gentleman earlier, but my nice words weren't respected. TRUE will be for some and not all and this is ok'
The footage was shared to Twitter on Sunday night and has already garnered more than 2.5million views. And, of course, a bevy of reactions.
The response to Kelley's scolding was split between those who faulted the twerking patrons over their behavior, and others who pointed blame at Kelley for his apparent approach.
'The excuses are that if a restaurant doesn't want patrons to hop on furniture and twerk against the walls then they shouldn't serve alcohol or play music,' one woman wrote.
'That is actually being said... by adults (Look at this ridiculous behavior).'
People took to Twitter to debate the confrontation at TRUE Kitchen + Kocktails in Dallas, Texas, on Sunday
Twitter user: 'He gave them choices to freely express themselves but please respect his establishment, his investment, and take the antics to the appropriate places. That’s business 101'
Twitter user: 'Doesn’t matter if the DJ was playin that type of music...have some class sit & eat like a normal person...people always doing s*** to be seen'
Another woman agreed, adding: 'He’s not wrong. As a restaurant owner, he wants a specific ambiance. Twerking is not it.'
'He gave them choices to freely express themselves but please respect his establishment, his investment, and take the antics to the appropriate places. That’s business 101.'
One man argued that he'd never seen twerking happen at other restaurants like Benihana.
'I don’t see people poppin ass at Benihana...Ruth Chris...Mastros...so why do they feel like it’s ok to stand on his property twerk?' he wrote.
'Doesn’t matter if the DJ was playin that type of music...have some class sit & eat like a normal person...people always doing s*** to be seen.'
Jessica Fyre: ''How you mad at women twerking in your restaurant while having a DJ playing “Body” by Meg Thee Stallion in full blast in your establishment?'
Twitter user: 'His disrespectful tone to the women, who are paying customers, isn’t right. He set the tone for his restaurant with a DJ, so this is on him'
But the man who initially shared the video called Kelley's speech 'restaurant suicide.'
Comedian Jessie Woo chimed pushed back at Kelley, saying 'How you mad at women twerking in your restaurant while having a DJ playing “Body” by Meg Thee Stallion in full blast in your establishment?'
And one Twitter user suggested that Kelley's direction of the DJ and the ambiance fell on him.
'His disrespectful tone to the women, who are paying customers, isn’t right. He set the tone for his restaurant with a DJ, so this is on him,' she wrote.
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