This archive report was first published on 16 December 2019.
December 13, 2019, will be a night to remember for Fay Hersi, a patron at J's Fresh Bar and Kitchen in Nairobi. According to her, she was allegedly slapped and had lemons/water thrown at her by a female bartender after she asked for her change back.
Ms. Hersi took to social media to share her ordeal, claiming that the bartender insisted she had given back her change and accused her of being drunk. She further alleged that the bartender called in the bouncers who attempted to forcibly drag her out of the premises.
Ms. Hersi and her friends reportedly asked to review CCTV footage and speak to the manager, but instead, a man by the name of Vincent appeared. He allegedly slapped Ms. Hersi after she demanded to speak to the real manager.
The incident was reported at Westlands Police Station, and the bar later released a statement denying the allegations. However, the establishment later released another statement, this time blaming the aggrieved customer.
“J’s Fresh Bar and Kitchen does not condone and or tolerate acts of violence and or abusive behavior whether from employees, staff or patron,” the bar's initial statement read.
However, in a shocking twist, the bar later attributed the customer's complaints to the “tip culture, and not racism,” after a previous incident of racial discrimination at the bar.
The establishment has since retraced their statement and issued another statement on their position regarding discriminatory behavior.
