Restaurant staffer 'hides' bacon in Muslim woman's straw
Yahoo!7 October 6, 2013, 10:44 am
A Muslim woman says bacon was planted in the straw of her iced tea by restaurant staff after she sent back a salad containing bacon bits.
Nicole Queen, 32, was dining at a TGI Fridays restaurant in Texas and wearing a headscarf when the incident occurred.
"We sent my friend's salad back because it had bacon, didn’t make a big deal and the server fixed it. He was tense as he served us and didn’t dare smile or show a personality," she said in a Facebook post.
"[A]t the end of our lunch a diff waitress finished our check. She asked if I would like a to-go cup of ice tea. I said sure and she presented me with a foam cup and straw already in it...
"I got in the car and took off the top wrap and took a sip, instead of tea I got a mouth of BACON!"
Nicole Queen runs a blog at queensofislam.com to promote understanding of Islam and women's issues. Photo: Facebook
Horrified, the woman returned to the store to confront staff.
"I took both my kids out of the car, loaded them in the double stroller and marched back in the building with my cup and the bacon on top of the lid.
"I asked for the manager and told him what happened and his reply was just deny deny deny. Oh I don’t think anyone did that on purpose... Really? So someone accidentally stuck bacon into the straw and stuck in my cup and placed the wrapper back on top, for the girl in the scarf?"
Queen, who is a Muslim convert married to a Jordanian national, told local radio the incident made her feel like a minority for the first time in her life.
"Whether [you're] Muslim, Christian, or Jewish don’t ever just accept something like this and say nothing," she said. "They put bacon in the wrong girl's straw.”
The restaurant chain has launched an investigation into the incident.
A statement posted on T.G.I. Fridays' official Facebook page. Photo: Facebook
