Washington restaurant accused of refusing to serve pregnant woman in crop top
MARYSVILLE, WA (WKBN) – A pregnant woman says she was body-shamed for wearing a crop top that showed her baby bump when she was denied service at a restaurant.
Charisha Gobin says she stopped by Buzz Inn Steakhouse in Marysville, WA, with her family Sunday night, wearing a black crop top T-shirt and a long skirt.
“And the waitress-bartender stopped us and said, ‘I’m sorry. You can’t be here in that shirt. I said, ‘Are you being serious with me right now?’ And she said, ‘Yep, you can’t be here in that,’” Gobin told KIRO.
Gobin is 7-and-a-half months pregnant with twins, and she believes that is why she was singled out.
“Just because my belly was bigger and sticking out, but had it been anyone else, I don’t think there would’ve been any problem whatsoever,” she said.
After the incident, Gobin posted a picture of her outfit on Facebook in which she says she was told she was violating the health code. She didn’t stick around for an explanation on why the outfit violated the code.
“I was livid. There was no way I was going to stay there,” Gobin said.
The server at Buzz Inn who talked to Gobin says she asked the woman to cover up because the restaurant has a no shirt, no shoes, no service policy. She says Gobin’s crop top didn’t constitute a shirt, and anyone wearing the same top would be asked to cover up.
Gobin says she’s never heard of a crop top not counting as a shirt.
“I was wearing a shirt. It had sleeves. I didn’t even have cleavage showing,” she said.
No one at the next restaurant Gobin visited mentioned her shirt, she says, and she feels like she was body-shamed at Buzz Inn.
“It was pretty ridiculous I was shamed in the first place and had to drive across town to eat,” Gobin said.
Gobin’s Facebook post received an overwhelmingly positive response.
“I was very surprised by the response. I think that says everybody pretty much agrees. I wasn’t out of bounds or out of line in any way,” Gobin said.
Buzz Inn said in a statement that they apologize for the misunderstanding and will review with staff “how to not overly enforce a rule that is intended to make all guests feel comfortable.”
Gobin says Buzz Inn has lost her business.