Woman sues Cheesecake Factory alleging discrimination against Latino workers
CALABASAS, Calif. - “Give me fries stacked high and tall like the wall Trump is going to build,” that’s what a Cheesecake Factory manager is accused of saying to several Latino cooks while ordering a plate of fries.
The comment was allegedly heard by several people including Andrea Nicole Dueñas, a long time Cheesecake Factory employee.
She said, “It makes you feel like you have no rights to be here in this country.”
Related: Former restaurant worker says kitchen manager disparaged Latino workers
Dueñas said she complained to a manager who told her he would investigate the incident. But when nothing happened and the comments continued, comments like, “Give me some fries, Trump-style,” Dueñas confronted the female kitchen manager, asking her what she meant by the comment.
Dueñas said the manager responded with, “You know…. stacked HIGH and TALL like the wall Trump is going to build.”
Again, Dueñas said she complained to two other managers who were on duty.
“They chuckled and brushed it off,” says Dueñas.
Then, after 11 years of working as server and trainer, Dueñas says she was terminated over a mistake on a free coupon for a piece of cheesecake.
She is now suing her former employer claiming retaliation and wrongful termination.
The Cheesecake Factory issued the following statement: “While we will not comment on the facts of the case, we deny the allegations in the complaint and look forward to this matter being resolved in the appropriate forum.”
Meanwhile, Dueñas and her attorney Daniel Holzman say they would like to see The Cheesecake Factory close for sensitivity training for all of its employees.