Star NFL Player Latest in Line of Celebrities Denied Service Over Outfit

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NFL player Grady Jarrett claimed that he was allegedly denied service on Wednesday in a restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia because of his outfit.

The Atlanta Falcons player posted a picture of his outfit on his Instagram account, in which he appeared wearing a bright green Gucci suit, and addressed the incident at Le Bilboquet Atlanta.

"Was about to have dinner at @lebilboquetatlanta was getting seated until the manager walks out, I believe he said his name was Chad, tells me I'm not dressed properly and they won't sit me n my lady," he wrote on Instagram.

He noted that he had a "great experience with great waiters" when he dined at the restaurant before but didn't seem to understand what was different that day.

The restaurant has a dress code policy on its website that bans sweat pants and athletic attire, beach flip flops, baseball caps, and cut-off denim.

"Not sure if I know how my dress is offensive, maybe it's the Gucci suit, the Bussdown AP Offshore, the iced double tennis chain w an Ankh and the fact that I pulled up in my 500k RR and they felt I wasn't fit to bless their restaurant for dinner," Jarrett said.

"I guess the other people rocking Nike sweat suits and t shirts that were already seated (as you can see in the background of the picture) n [and] enjoying dinner were no problem.. unfortunate but I'm not going for it.. This not even my style I'm a cool guy you should ask around.. Do better @lebilboquetatlanta," he added.

Last year, the French restaurant allegedly turned away Atlanta Hawks basketball legend Dominique Wilkins after showing up at the restaurant while wearing what he described as "designer casual pants and a shirt."

"In my many years in the world, I've eaten at some of the greatest restaurants in the world, but never have I felt prejudice or been turned away because of the color of my skin, until today in #atlanta in @LeBilboquetAtl #turnedawaybecauseimblack," Wilkins said on Twitter in May 2021.

In another follow-up tweet, he said: "I would have been fine if they said just no tables. But they looked me up and down before that and then said that and to add insult, talked about how my clothes were not appropriate when I was wearing designer casual pants and a shirt."

The Capital Grille was another Atlanta restaurant that had turned down service over an outfit earlier this month. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said that she was allegedly turned away from the restaurant at the Perimeter Mall for wearing leggings.

NFL Player refused from restaurant over outfit
NFL player Grady Jarrett claimed that he was allegedly denied service on Wednesday in a restaurant in Le Bilboquet Atlanta in Georgia because of his outfit. Here, Grady Jarett of the Atlanta Falcons speaks at... Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

"Odd that a restaurant in a mall parking lot turns away customers in 'mall' attire," tweeted Bottoms, who served as mayor from 2018 to 2022. "Asked if I could sit in the bar area and was told, 'No.'. Rules are the rules, just wonder if the woman who came in immediately after me, who I did not see come back out, was also denied service."

Social media users criticized the incident with some claiming that they were able to eat in the restaurant while wearing leggings and other casual outfits despite the dress code that prohibits "gym attire" and sweatpants.

Newsweek reached out to Le Bilboquet Atlanta for comment.

About the writer

Fatma Khaled is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, world news, and general interest news. Her coverage in the past focused on business, immigration, culture, LGBTQ issues, and international politics. Fatma joined Newsweek in 2021 from Business Insider and had previously worked at The New York Daily News and TheStreet with contributions to Newlines Magazine, Entrepreneur, Documented NY, and Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, among others. She is a graduate of Columbia University where she pursued a master's degree focusing on documentary filmmaking and long-form journalism. You can get in touch with Fatma by emailing f.khaled@newsweek.com. Languages: English, Arabic, German.


Fatma Khaled is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, world ... Read more