Mama E's – a local soul food joint that has the unusual distinction of being the only restaurant in the world to be featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Restaurant Impossible and The Lost Ogle – created a social media uproar over the weekend when co-owner Stephanie Patterson responded to a customer complaint with accusations of roach planting and black on black racism.
It started when a customer posted a negative Facebook review claiming she found a roach swimming in her sweet potatoes:
Let's be honest here – just about every restaurant has roaches, and sometimes they're going to make their way into food. Just like a bird shitting on you, or realizing you're eating a roasted bug and not a pistachio, it's a fact of life that we all have to deal with from time to time. That's why I recommend always wearing a blindfold when dining out. Basically, don't make a big deal about it... unless you're trying to get a free meal.
Naturally, Mama E's co-owner Stephanie Patterson responded to the complaint by suggesting the customer planted the roach (because they don't have that type of bug in the restaurant), and stating it doesn't matter because Mama E's is only concerned about white customers.
Check out this madness:
Yikes! And I thought Gary's Chicaro was the only restaurant in Oklahoma that was openly not concerned about black patrons! Who would have thought the other place is an African-American owned soul food restaurant in Oklahoma City? That doesn't make any sense. It would be like Louie's coming out and saying they're not concerned about white customers.
Seriously, that response takes dumb to whole new level. Even if that's how you honestly feel, how can you be dumb enough to share it on Facebook for the world to see? That makes me less likely to go to Mama E's than racism and roaches.
Naturally, Stephanie's reply made the rounds on Facebook. As a result, the restaurant has been flooded with negative comments and one star reviews. Stephanie responded to the bad publicity with the following apology:
I'm not going to pray for Stephanie, but at least she had the courage to apologize and admit that she screwed up. I'd recommend she take things a step further and hire an exterminator – or at least pick the roaches out of the sweet potatoes – then maybe the place will recover and we'll see it on another TV food show.
