Outback Steakhouse, Tea Party lock horns
Outback Steakhouse has drawn the ire of Tea Party supporters after an Illinois waitress said she was fired for wearing a “Don’t Tread on Me” bracelet.
Outback denies the worker, Megan Geller of Woodstock, Ill., was fired because of the bracelet, according to a report in the Northwest Herald newspaper. The restaurant in Crystal Lake, Ill., claims the 23-year-old woman was let go because she was ignoring customers.
Geller said a couple complained about the bracelet, which she’d worn for months without any problem. The bracelet contains words found on a well-known historical American flag with a yellow background and rattlesnake poised to strike. It was only after the customers complained that she was fired, she said.
The local restaurant has been the target of conservative bloggers and radio hosts, and protests by local Tea Party members, who say Geller’s free speech rights have been violated.
An Outback lawyer told the newspaper Geller would have been told to remove the bracelet if that had been the problem.
“Megan Gellar was not let go because of her Tea Party bracelet,” Outback’s Chief Legal Officer Jospeh Kadow said in a statement.
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71 comments Add your comment
TallaDawg
November 16th, 2011
4:24 pm
Why is the Tea Party NOT supporting the company’s right to hire and fire who they want?
Truthsayer
November 16th, 2011
4:28 pm
I hope its true… That would mean I eat at Outback for SURE!!!!! The Tea Party are Traitors, there groups have called on Small Business Owners to not hire. They are a Scourge, and DESERVE to be Marginalized and Treated in the same manner they treat others. The Tea Party are Traitors, they are not Americans.
See no evil
November 16th, 2011
4:33 pm
Once again the Tea Party is trying to tell someone else how they should run their business. Isn’t that what they are against? Kettle calling the pot black is what it sounds like to me. Chances are the waitress is supporting the Tea party has has a feeling of entitlement like all of the rest of the Tea Party. You know, the you can’t tell me what to do, I’m a flag waving American by God!!! That is fine and well as long as you don’t carry that to work with you. You can’t have that kind of attitude and expect to keep a job anywhere, not just at the Outback.
TallaDawg
November 16th, 2011
4:34 pm
Oh yeah, the Tea Party is a bunch of hypocrits … that’s why.
TrishaDishaWarEagle
November 16th, 2011
4:34 pm
my statement was not racist, it was a business decision based upon personal experience. If it makes some people feel better to include others, European tourists generally tip like sh*t too..it is not customary over there..and as a server at the time, all I cared about was the tip. I’m not a people person..when i have to feign caring and smile at strangers, I expect remuneration. Everyone got the same level of service from me unless i recognized a bad tipper from a prior visit and they were dead to me.
I also am not one who said Outback owed her anything..but I would ask that they drop the dated crocodile Dundee crap..you were started by a group of chili’s franchisees in Florida..
Michael Marr
November 16th, 2011
4:39 pm
Non lawyers discussing free speech are usually wrong but always amusing.
Herman Cain
November 16th, 2011
4:44 pm
Only a T-bagger party member would bring up race when this article has nothing to do with race. You can wear whatever you like as lone as it’s not viewed as offensive to others.
Maybe Herman Cain touched her and now she wants her money
Devil's Advocate
November 16th, 2011
4:58 pm
I don’t know though, I’d take my chances serving large groups of blacks. You guys must not see how the rich ones love to make it rain! Dropping $20K in 15 minutes and stuff. You could make out with some nice dough on the right party.
hey now
November 16th, 2011
5:09 pm
outback–overpriced, mediocre steak. Improve quality, lower prices.
Outback Steakhouse=Crap
November 16th, 2011
9:13 pm
Outback Steakhouse:
No Rules, Just LEFT.
Outback Steakhouse=Crap
November 16th, 2011
9:15 pm
Obama=Feces
TrishaDishaWarEagle
November 16th, 2011
9:23 pm
@ Michael Marr
Lawyers discussing ANYTHING other than the finer points of douche-baggery is amusing.
Traniqua
November 16th, 2011
9:33 pm
The company says she was not terminated because of a bracelet. Why wouldn’t we believe that? More likely the woman was let go because of other issues and the bracelet is merely her lame excuse.
Anyone who’s been a manager or supervisor for any length of time will run into situations like this.
Publius
November 17th, 2011
4:18 am
Folks, I have firsthand knowledge of this situation and she was absolutely not fired for the bracelet. She was a marginal and confrontational employee who had two guest complaints (for being ignored) at the same time. One table mentioned the bracelet, but it is absolutely not the reason she was fired. And to the person who says Outback doesn’t cook their own steaks, you’re a moron.
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November 17th, 2011
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true american
November 17th, 2011
7:02 am
The truth is we were not there. We don’t know what happened. Everyone has an agenda. Where has our moral values in this country gone?
Mayretter local
November 17th, 2011
1:04 pm
to the people complaining about profiling of customers from a waiter’s point of view, it is entirely correct the majority of the time. and if you don’t think so, you must have worked in a place where the prices were high enough to prevent the slouches from coming in – lucky you. yes there are white and other flavored ffolkes who’d tip poorly, but the majority of the time, you’d bring them 10 refills of orange fanta, all the bread they could stuff in their purse, and then get maybe a dollar an adult, and nothing for the 2+ kids that were there… cheapskates…
ttnh
November 17th, 2011
8:08 pm
I am wondering if it even happened.. I hope the 9/12 teaparty will check out these things.. they should remember and know who they are up against in this Nation.. do they know?..Is the teapartyexpress a legitimate tea party ?..
another comment
November 18th, 2011
11:20 pm
truth is fat black women are the absolute worse tippers, often leaving nothing. They would rather eat than tip the wait staff anything. The best tippers are white males traveling alone on business and white women who have waited tables before.
Tom Saunders
November 19th, 2011
10:38 am
It’s great that Obama was finally shamed into wearing a flag lapel pin. Now if we just get him to salute and pronounce “Corpsman” correctly.
John
November 22nd, 2011
9:59 am
Another reason I don’t support Outback is they offshored jobs from their Tampa office.
A lot of people don’t know that, they were very quiet about it since they did it in small numbers at a time.