A Naperville police report obtained by the Daily Herald about the October 26 incident at Buffalo Wild Wings in Naperville details employee accounts of what happened as well as the response of the couple accused of being racist.
How It Began:
A party of 18 who went there that night say staff members asked them to move tables as two regular customers there were racist, and one did not want to sit by black people.
Employee Accounts:
One employee account says the incident “blew up by word of mouth,” and was all “he said she said and a lot of miscommunication – our staff causing most of the drama.” That individual said no racist comments were made.
Another employee said they had heard the regular couple make “several negative comments in the past about black people.”
Regulars Respond:
In an interview summary with one of those regulars, the reporting officer states the man admitted he had made racist comments in the past in front of the staff, but did not say anything offensive to the party of 18 that night, and did not ask for them to be moved.
The female regular said they did move their table away from the group slightly – about five to 10 inches, because there was “very little room between their table and the group’s table for servers to get through.” She reiterated that neither she or her companion asked for the other group to be moved.
General Manager Says Unaware of Past Racist Conduct:
A detective on the case spoke with the general manager of the Buffalo Wild Wings in Naperville. That manager said he had only limited contact with the regulars, and had not been made aware by his staff of their prior racist conduct. If so, he said, he would have addressed it.
Threats to Restaurant:
After the Facebook post on the incident went viral, the restaurant received a large number of threatening calls, prompting them to contact police to conduct an investigation. Extra police patrols were dispersed to the location as a result.
No Crimes Committed:
The police investigation determined that no crimes were committed in the incident.
Civil Rights Leader Gets Involved:
Civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson will meet with Buffalo Wild Wings President Lyle Tick on Monday to discuss the incident. He plans to address what the company can do moving forward to work toward greater diversity in their staffing, particularly among executives and franchise owners.
