Oh dear, Pizza Hut, thats a bit wrong.

[Peter Venkman]

Pizza Hut have apologised to a group of black footballers who were told they would have to pay for their food before eating.

A group of Bournemouth players said they were targeted in the restaurant and told they would have to pay first because of "the way you look".

After training was cancelled because of the weather, six players had gone for a late lunch at Pizza Hut in Castle Lane West.

Midfielder Anton Robinson told the Bournemouth Daily Echo: "We ordered our food. The manager came up with the bill and said: 'Would you mind paying first?'

"We asked if that was the policy and he said 'no'. When we asked why he’d asked us, he said: 'It’s the way you look.'

"We had a good idea what he was trying to get at. A group of white kids came in straight after us and they weren’t asked to pay before they had their food. The only thing that was different was the colour of our skins.

"We said we were professional footballers and were happy to pay when we had finished. That’s what normal people do. He hadn’t asked other customers to pay before their meals.

"It got a little bit heated, then he said: 'If you’re not going to pay the bill now, I’m going to call the police to escort you off the premises'."

Robinson added: "We’re all grown men and we were smartly dressed. When the lads go out for a meal, we know we’re representing the club. We know that people recognise us and we have to behave.

"We were angry, but we kept our cool. The police spoke to customers who were eating around our table, and they said we were fine. We hadn’t shouted, kicked up a fuss or anything."

Another midfielder, Liam Feeney, added: "I couldn’t believe it. You don’t really expect it any more. I could understand it if all young men had to pay before their meal.

"The fact that there were other groups of white lads, younger than us, who weren’t asked didn’t really leave anything else for it to be."

A spokesman for Dorset Police confirmed that officers attended the restaurant after receiving a complaint from Pizza Hut about disruptive customers.

"A group of men had been asked to leave. They weren’t happy about this, but we spoke to them and they did leave," he said.

A spokesman for Pizza Hut said: "We do not tolerate any form of discrimination, so immediately investigated this incident. While our duty manager’s actions were absolutely not racially motivated, we are very sorry for the way this was handled.

"Police recently recommended that the restaurant started asking people to pay for their meal before dining, to combat a number of incidents where customers had left without paying.

"Unfortunately, it seems this approach was not enforced as a blanket policy and we have ensured all staff have been retrained. We will be contacting the customers concerned to apologise."

Bournemouth are third in League One.
Eurosport

[DMR]

That's absolutely disgraceful, I hope the cunt of a manager gets a P45 for Christmas.

[stfcinbmth]

Pretty disgraceful. Think Pizza Hut should throw em a big freebie party as a way of an apology

[Ginginho]

I can't believe that! Who the fuck eats at Pizza Hut!?

[luckyluke699]

I can't believe that! Who the fuck eats at Pizza Hut!?

More importantly, how often do professional footballers eat in Pizza Hut? I couldn't imagine Kev going for the all you can eat buffet for example!

That aside, that is absolutely disgusting. Well done to the lads in question for not kicking up too much of a fuss about it.

Pizza hut, you should be ashamed!

[Arriba]

only one side of the story.maybe they were acting like idiots?

[Barry Scott]

Fucking hell. That's quite shocking. To be fair, they should be pleased they left, their pizza is vile.

[luckyluke699]

only one side of the story.maybe they were acting like idiots?

Admittedly most of the information the report is based on is coming from the Bournemouth players, not the police themselves, but one article commented that the police asked other people eating in the restaurant who said that they did nothing to cause any kind of a disturbance.

Sounds like racism on the face of it, though as stated we haven't heard all the facts (prticularly from the police in question) yet. I wonder why they agreed to leave? I would have been quite upset had that been me. It is good that Pizza Hut offered an apology at least!

Can't we all just go back to ageism and be prejudiced against young people? Sadly ephebiphobia seems to be perfectly acceptable these days...  

[Peter Venkman]

More importantly, how often do professional footballers eat in Pizza Hut? I couldn't imagine Kev going for the all you can eat buffet for example!

I have been to the Yeovil Pizza Hut a couple of times in the last couple of years and I always see Yeovil players in there, and mostly always eating the all you can eat buffet.

I had a chat to Kevin Gall in there exclaiming my surprise that a pro footballer was in there, he said they went there once a week at least, I was a shocked in all honesty as I stuffed my massive pizza in my face!

[Barry Scott]

we haven't heard all the facts

Facts don't make stories and papers do not print facts.

Facts != Entertainment

[tans]

I saw sean o'hanlon in the mk one with sam baldock a while back.

I hope the scouse cunt got food poisoning

[THE FLASH]

I like Pizza Hut!

[Sippo]

Jezza Vine is talking about this on Radio 2 this lunchtime.

[Ralphy]

Pizza Hut is nice.

[Samdy Gray]

...if you're not black.