A group of employees walked out of their job at Mela Kitchen in Mount Joy Township earlier this month after management reportedly introduced drinks to the menu that made the staff uncomfortable. The Pennsylvania restaurant planned to present a variety of cocktails, including “The Negro” and “The Caucasian,” according to a March 7 article from local newspaper The Gettysburg Times.
What began with 16 staff members has now turned into 25 employees who have left the establishment, the outlet wrote. Former front-of-house manager Megan Dietz said, “It was not an easy decision for all of us. It was really heavy. It was very emotional. For a lot of us, it was a full-time job.” The drink decision allegedly came from the company Core Theatre but was approved by the restaurant’s owner, Donald Hoffman. Dietz and other employees reportedly sent a joint email informing him that they were “deeply uncomfortable” with the cocktails chosen. “Your team at Mela refuses to represent an establishment that is OK with this type of language,” a portion of the message read.
WTF?
Mela Kitchen announced the newest cocktail the establishment would serve, “The Caucasian,” and told those who found it offensive to “buckle up” because the restaurant would also serve “The Negro” cocktail.
🤨That’s 👇🏾
1865 Gettysburg Village Dr, Gettysburg PA
717-334-4888— 𝑼𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑹𝒂𝒘! (@AriesaSandino) March 9, 2023
Dietz said she then gave Hoffman a heads-up that the staff would leave if the company did not reconsider the names of the cocktails, to which he reportedly told them to feel “free to walk out.” The woman claimed he was also “grossly offended” at his employees threatening to stand up to him. “The Caucasian” was the restaurant’s spin on the classic White Russian, featuring bourbon, bourbon cream, eggnog liqueur and half-and-half. After that drink was announced, staff members claimed Hoffman told them to “buckle up” because “The Negro” would come next.
In a since-deleted Facebook post, Hoffman denied allegations of being a sexist, a bigot, or a racist. He added, “I have never been accused of what has been stated here because it simply is not true.”
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Mela Kitchen is now apologizing since the workers walked out in protest. https://t.co/QuSCfcWPwb pic.twitter.com/3jYOfz3VDa
— Central Pennsylvania Club CPUSA (@centralpaCPUSA) March 10, 2023
Mela Kitchen's appology is hollow considering they were dumb enough to do it in the first place. Boycott this establishment into oblivion. It is not worth staying open. https://t.co/W7yoPxJBhK
— Republicans are Traitors (@HershAlan) March 11, 2023
Workers at a local restaurant/ bar in Gettysburg walked off after the owner insisted on giving racialized names to cocktails like "The Negro"
They are advocating for a boycott and we have reached out to them to ask if they'd like our support.
Don't support, Mela Kitchen. pic.twitter.com/4hQLVJc1ww
— Central Pennsylvania Club CPUSA (@centralpaCPUSA) March 5, 2023