Serving up an Order of Buffalo Racist Wings

Justin Vahl and Marcus Riley, who were celebrating a birthday at Buffalo Wild Wings in Naperville, Illinois, were asked to switch tables because of their skin color, according to the Chicago Tribune. 

Vahl said he arrived at the restaurant first. He asked the host to prepare a table for 15 people, including adults and children. Then, he realized he actually needed room for 18 people and approached the workers as they were preparing the tables. That’s when, he says, he was questioned about his race.

The host, who Vahl described as a young black man, asked, “What race are you?”  Vahl, (who is muultiracial), asked why it mattered--  that’s when the host referenced a regular nearby who “doesn’t want black people sitting near him.”  Vahl asked the host to prepare the table anyway.

From there, Vahl claims that a manager spoke with the regular customer and his guest, then approached his group. This time, Vahl says his group was told they needed to move because a party of 18 had already reserved the table.    Eventually, the group left and went to a different restaurant.

Unsurprisingly, the kids in the group had a hard time dealing with the pain from the situation. “Why does he not like us?” Riley says one of his two young boys asked in the car afterward.  Riley told CBS 2 that as the group was leaving the restaurant, the host who had originally seated them had tears in his eyes. He says a fellow patron stood up and offered them hugs.

Suspicious about the existence of that reservation policy? So was a reporter at the Naperville Sun, because they called the restaurant to find out more. In that call, they were reportedly told the Naperville location doesn’t take reservations.


This incident didn't involve law enforcement, but it rings close to home when we consider how many times people call the police on people of color in shared spaces-- for instance, when police were called to a frozen yogurt shop because a black man was literally doing his job. Or when two black women were waiting for car assistance. Or when a black student put her feet up during class. 

“I’ve never in my entire life experienced something like. To have my children go through that, it brought me to tears,” Riley said.