Kierra Eaton
Google
Tonight was one of the most upsetting dining experiences my family and I have ever had, and it happened at Red Robin in Pasadena on Vista Rd.
We initially decided on Red Robin because our 4- and 5-year-old daughters were too hungry to wait out the long line at another restaurant. When we arrived, we were seated fairly quickly, but after that… nothing. We sat for no less than 20 minutes without a single server approaching us. The staff clearly saw us, and even the host who sat us knew we were there, yet no one acknowledged us until the assistant manager finally came by and asked if we had been helped.
By that point, I was already uneasy. Looking around the restaurant, it was impossible to ignore that every other table — all non-Black families — had been greeted and served, while we sat there ignored. The only thing that seemed to set us apart was the color of our skin.
We decided to at least order drinks and an appetizer since our little girls were starving, but even that took another 15+ minutes after my husband had to track someone down to ask about it. When the appetizer finally arrived, I no longer felt comfortable staying. If a restaurant doesn’t want to serve us because we are Black, then I couldn’t trust that our food would even be safe. At that point, we paid for what we had and left.
What broke my heart most was trying to explain this to our daughters. They didn’t understand why we had to leave when they were so hungry, and as a parent, it’s gut-wrenching to know the real reason — that we were treated differently and unwelcome in a place we came to simply enjoy a meal together.
I do not take accusations of discrimination lightly. In my entire life, I’ve never felt so strongly that we were being mistreated solely because of race until tonight. This was more than just bad service. It was an experience that left us feeling invisible, unwelcome, and unsafe.
Red Robin, no family should ever have to walk away with that kind of pain and disappointment — least of all while holding the hands of two little girls who deserved nothing but kindness and a warm meal.