News Summary

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield's Applebee's denied service to a group of black students in 2007 because of their race, according to the Ohio Civil Rights Commission finding.

Twenty black students had filed discrimination charges with the commission in March 2007, alleging they were denied service at the Applebee's restaurant in Springfield because of their race.

A commission statement released Tuesday, March 11, stated that in the evening of Feb. 9, 2007, a group of high school and college-age students went to Appebee's on West First Street. They were initially asked to wait for 30 minutes for a table. However, a manager later informed them that they would not be served "because your group of people never pay [your] bill."

Several students in the group offered to pay for their meals in advance, the statement added. However, the manager insisted that the group had to leave the restaurant.

Applebee's denies the charges. It also has requested a reconsideration hearing to try and reverse the commission's finding. That hearing is set for 9:30 a.m. Thursday, March 13, at the commission meeting in Columbus, 30 E. Broad St.

The state's civil rights commission supports the students' claim.

It declared on Jan. 10 that it "found probable cause that Applebee's engaged in an unlawful discriminatory practice that February evening."

The company said the students were not denied service because they were black, but because some in the group were extremely "rude, difficult, obnoxious and abusive" to staff during a recent visit and "that [they] had a tendency to walk out on their checks."

After that incident, Applebee's General Manager Gary Kirk directed his staff to no longer serve the students.

"Applebee's has stated that it denies refusing anyone service on the basis of race," said Michael Hawkins, a company attorney. "The history of that facility shows that they have provided service to anyone that walks through the door."