The Korean-American franchise cafe Hansel and Gretel bakery cafe has been embroiled in a major racial profiling controversy. After an incident went viral on social media where a Korean owner demanded a Black man sitting inside the cafe leave unless he had placed an order, the company ultimately issued an official apology following severe backlash.
On the 24th, Hansel and Gretel posted an official statement on their Instagram page, stating, “We deeply reflect upon and regret that an innocent customer was targeted by racial profiling and received unacceptable treatment.” The company explained, “The owner responsible for the issue has acknowledged their wrongdoing and agreed to step down from management. To prevent future occurrences, we have revised our franchise agreements and policies to allow customers to use the cafe regardless of whether they have placed an order.”
On the 22nd, Brendan Jones visited the Suwanee branch of Hansel and Gretel, where a Korean manager informed him that only paying customers were allowed to use the establishment. Although he explained that he had already purchased a sandwich, the manager’s husband repeatedly demanded that he leave the premises. Jones stated, “I was subjected to the absurd misconception that I had been occupying the store for two consecutive days without ordering. When I tried to show my mobile payment history, it was ignored, and the two Korean owners spoke to each other in Korean and refused to apologize. Other customers did not have coffee or food on their tables either, yet criticism was hurled solely at the only Black person in the store.” His protest post on social media gathered hundreds of likes and sparked widespread outrage.
Charlie Kim, the owner of the problematic branch, stated, “I apologize to the customer who was hurt by the unfair treatment. Swept up in a momentary surge of emotion, I failed to acknowledge my mistake.”
Black customers have pointed out that this incident bears strong similarities to a 2018 case at a Philadelphia Starbucks where a store manager called the police on two Black men who were inquiring about using the restroom before ordering. Amid the ensuing racial profiling controversy at that time, Starbucks temporarily closed stores nationwide for retraining, the CEO issued a direct public apology, and the company updated its policy to allow everyone to use stores and restrooms regardless of purchasing items.
