Dominique Wilkins is an absolute legend in Atlanta, but it seems there is one place where he cannot go.
The Atlanta Hawks legend tweeted Saturday that Le Bilboquet Atlanta, part of a chain of swank French bistros, had turned him away because of his race.
In my many years in the world, I’ve eaten at some of the greatest restaurants in the world, but never have I felt prejudice or been turned away because of the color of my skin, until today in #atlanta In @LeBilboquetAtl #turnedawaybecauseimblack
Wilkins said he was told the restaurant had no tables when he arrived, then said he wasn’t dressed fashionably enough.
Wilkins added: “Crazy man, they said there are no seats available when u can clearly see many available.”
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The restaurant, meanwhile, has since fired back at his accusations.
“We, at Le Bilboquet, do our best to accommodate all of our guests. However, we have received consistent complaints from our patrons regarding other guest’s wardrobe choices,” the statement read. “As a result, to protect our restaurant’s culture, we installed a minimum standard in our ‘business casual’ attire dress code which includes jeans and sneakers but prohibits baseball caps and athletic clothing including sweat pants and tops. Though the definition of ‘casual’ is ever evolving, we strive to maintain our policy requirements daily but it isn’t a perfect system.”
Wilkins would go on to respond to one follower who linked to a story about the restaurant strictly enforcing its dress code in a way that could be interpreted as racist.
Wilkins, who currently works for the Hawks as a vice president and special adviser to the CEO, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
