‘Because you all like to fight’: Nine Black women allege discrimination at Virginia steakhouse

A Friendsgiving dinner ended with humiliation and a call for accountability after the group said they were wrongly removed from the restaurant.

Nine women in Chesapeake, Virginia, say what started as a simple Friendsgiving dinner turned into a humiliating and discriminatory ordeal; one they’re now taking legal action to address.

A viral video captured a fistfight between two women inside the Cork and Bull Chophouse on Nov. 6. But the group says that despite having nothing to do with the altercation, they were the ones escorted out by management.

Patron Shakoya Holt told reporters the night was supposed to be about fellowship. Instead, it “turned into a night of hurt, embarrassment, and pure humiliation,” she said.

According to the women, they had only ordered drinks when two other diners, who were also Black women, began fighting across the room. Those individuals left before police arrived, but Holt says restaurant staff assumed her group was part of the chaos.

After the scene settled, the group says a manager approached their table and told them to leave. When Holt asked if the restaurant was shutting down for everyone, she says he responded, “No. We’re just not servicing you all, because you all like to fight.” She added that no one else was asked to leave, only their party.

“We were all put in a negative spotlight in that moment,” said Ashley Pickens. “It was all eyes on us, very embarrassing.”

The women claim they were forced to stand up and exit in front of the entire dining room even though they weren’t involved in the fight, and the actual participants faced no such public removal. Their attorney, Joyvan Malbon-Griffin, calls the treatment both discriminatory and unjust.

“All nine of these women were treated more harshly than the two people who were actually engaged in the misdemeanor action,” Malbon-Griffin said. “Just because you have employees who might’ve made a bad judgment one night, that can turn into two nights, three nights, four nights. It has to stop.”

The group says the restaurant has not reached out with an apology or any update. They’re now pursuing legal action, citing racial discrimination and equal protection concerns.

“They have said enough is enough, and we are not going to take it,” Malbon-Griffin added.

The NAACP Virginia State Conference and the NAACP Chesapeake Branch have publicly backed the nine women. In a statement, conference president Rev. Cozy Bailey called the incident “a painful reminder that racism remains embedded in our daily lives,” adding that establishments must be held accountable “when they perpetuate racial stereotypes.”

As for Holt, her message is straightforward: “Treat your customers with dignity and respect.”