As a neighborhood business, I aim to be integral to the fabric of the community—to be welcoming and feel welcome, to be necessary and vital, to contribute to the quality of life of those around me. Anything less is a failure of our open doors, our care and goodwill, and our belief in the connective power of ethical and delicious food.
When Sandy and her family came to Local’s Corner, they felt none of this. Even worse, they felt unwelcome and discriminated against. This is a huge failure to enact our commitment to everyone with whom to interact—from farmers to staff to our customers and neighbors. I am deeply sorry for Sandy’s experience that morning. I have followed-up with all of my staff, particularly the staff with whom Sandy and her family interacted, and reinforced our core value of care for others.
Last week, I went to Sandy’s home to hear the events directly from her and her family. Together, we spoke as neighbors—as neighbors who care for our neighborhood. There were tough moments—candid, real and even angry moments. There was also openness and generous hearts and even a few laughs. We connected as individuals. Together, we felt we must strive for further neighborhood connections and for working together to better our neighborhood that we love.
As individuals and as a neighborhood, I look forward to seeing it through together.
Yaron Milgrom, owner of Local’s Corner
What would have avoided this whole mess? 1 ) simple signage to start with stating your seating policy 2) proper training of your staff, before they start working at your eatery 3) putting reserved signs on tables if they were already spoken for. As a multi-restaurant owner one would assume that you are aware of these very basic, basic practices. I was on the email chain, and as a native I have many of the same sentiments. To be a good neighbor, also means to be a conscious neighbor. I glad that you finally met with Sandra and her family.
Why exactly did you server decline to serve them? You need to be clear about the reason this happened.