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Ellie Parker and Lucy Stenger said a chef made their Valentine's Day dinner uncomfortable by telling them they needed a man.
A lesbian couple say they got a serving of harassment with their Valentine's Day dinner at a restaurant in Lafayette, Ind.
Ellie Parker and Lucy Stenger were having dinner February 14 at Asahi Japanese Steakhouse, where the chef makes a show of preparing the meal, the Lafayette Journal & Courier reports. He was quizzing all the diners about their romantic partners, and when he got to the women, he asked where their valentines were. They replied that they were each other's valentine.
"He then said, 'I know it's legal, but it's a waste not to have a man.' Which sort of offended us, but we didn't want to cause a scene," Parker told the newspaper.
Later, as he made the flames rise on the grill, the chef told the women, "If you guys are having trouble in the bedroom, you can always bring me to heat things up," according to Parker.
She told the Journal & Courier the situation made her and Stenger very uncomfortable, and she posted about it on Facebook, noting that the two were holding hands and "clearly a couple." She also offered the restaurant a "tip," as shown in the post:
I'm not normally one to complain on social media, but the service I had at dinner tonight warrants a little complaining....
Posted by Ellie Parker on Sunday, February 14, 2016
Asahi issued a statement apologizing for the chef's action, saying, "No malice or disrespect was intended," the paper reports. The restaurant offered the women a refund and another complimentary meal, but Parker said that was contingent on her taking down the Facebook post, which she is not willing to do. The women said they won't pursue further action against Asahi, although Lafayette does have an ordinance prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation.
