Olive Garden host to sue after discrimination

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – An Olive Garden employee who made headlines last week when a customer singled her out in an incident of racial discrimination has decided to sue the restaurant.

According to a Facebook post Saturday from Indiana law firm Danks and Danks, Amira Donahue, 16, decided to quit her position at the restaurant because of what she said has become a hostile work environment.

“After Amira spoke up about being discriminated against by an Olive Garden customer, she has been harassed by and retaliated against by her coworkers and superiors,” the post reads. “Amira told her superiors about the harassment and retaliation by her coworkers, and Olive Garden failed to stop it from continuing.

“Amira did her best to overcome the adversity at Olive Garden, but her environment had become intolerable. The final straw happened yesterday evening when Amira overheard a coworker say, ‘black people will do anything for money’ and ‘I don’t like her,’ ” the Facebook post continues.

As first reported by the USA TODAY Network’s Evansville Courier & Press on March 2, Donahue was working her shift as a host at Olive Garden in Evansville on Feb. 29 when a customer requested a white server instead of the server assigned to the table. Both Donahue and the server are black.

The manager of the restaurant granted the customer’s request. That manager was later “separated” from the company, according to Olive Garden corporate management.

Danks and Danks issued a statement saying the firm was “proud to join Amira in this fight.”

Attorney Brandon Danks told local news outlet WEVV that the firm is “anticipating litigation” and expects to “eventually file something.”