A woman said she ended up in tears after being asked to leave a Korean barbecue restaurant in Fullerton, California, because she was alone.
Sunshine Chavez, who describes herself as “just a girl that’s passionate about cooking,” took to TikTok to share her unfortunate experience, which occurred at Bwon Shabu & BBQ at 1841 W. Orangethorpe Ave. earlier this week.
In her 15-second TikTok video, a staff member can be heard telling Chavez that the restaurant only accepts a minimum of “two orders” while showing her the policy in print.
While leading Chavez to the exit, the staff apologizes and encourages her, presumably, to bring a friend with her “next time.” The video ends with a photo of the customer sign-in sheet, which shows Chavez signed in as a single diner.
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Chavez, who found the restaurant “#rude,” said she wound up sitting in her car and crying before giving herself a confidence check after 15 minutes.
“When the restaurant doesn’t let you dine in because you’re a party of one. And you’re told next time [to] bring a friend. Maybe I’m just hungry and emotional but I definitely cried in my car,” Chavez wrote in her TikTok post.
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Chavez’s post has received more than 64,000 views as of this writing. Some criticized the restaurant for its dining policy and sympathized with Chavez, saying they also tend to eat alone.
“As someone who loves eating out alone, this is a new fear unlocked lol,” one user wrote.
“Were all the tables full? I can’t understand why they would turn away a paying customer,” another user questioned. “Would make me not want to return.”
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“I dine alone on my day off. This would make me sad too,” another commented.
Meanwhile, other users pointed out the policy is normal for Korean barbecue restaurants. Others even offered to dine with Chavez themselves.
“Most asian BBQ places are like that, has it be two or more for ayce [all you can eat],” wrote one user.
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“If it’s like a Korean BBQ, they don’t allowed one person,” responded another user. “I don’t know why because I love Korean bbq and most of the time I have no one to go with me!”
Still, some users asked whether a single person ordering for two would be allowed. Otherwise, one suggested a workaround.
“Say it’s a date, party of two. Then the other person did not show up.”
Responding to the comments, Chavez said she has actually been to the restaurant before, although she did not specify if she was alone in her previous trips. After waiting for an hour, she had managed to dine just fine.
This time, she waited for just 15 minutes only to be kicked out. She also said there were “plenty of tables.”
“I really debated about paying for an extra person. I was craving it all day (all week) and I’m a server and would have taken care of my server,” Chavez wrote.
Featured Image via @sunshine_inthekitchen
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