Eugenior Joseph, berated at Cheesecake Factory over MAGA hat: “This is America, everyone should be entitled to their own opinions, own beliefs.” https://t.co/IpM7tQhS4n pic.twitter.com/vo5kZdaP43
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 16, 2018
A Miami man has remained steadfast in his support for President Donald Trump after he claims a group of Cheesecake Factory employees clowned him for sporting the notorious red “Make America Great Again” hat.
Eugenior Joseph, 22, hit back at his haters during a Wednesday appearance on “Fox and Friends” where he expressed even more adoration for the nation’s 45th president.
“I love Donald Trump, he’s just what the country needs,” Joseph told the hosts. “He’s a true American. He really cares for the well-being of America.”
“People will say what they want about him, it’s a free country,” he added. “And I think Donald Trump is everything we ever need in this country.”
Speaking to The Daily Wire, Joseph said the drama unfolded while he was dining with his girlfriend’s family at the Dadeland Mall restaurant for Mother’s Day. He said a female employee walked over to their table and noticed his MAGA hat before calling her co-workers over to come see it.
“Her finger was literally on top of his head, and we were all looking at her like ‘what is happening?”‘ one bystander told the conservative news site. “She was pointing at him, calling her other coworkers, telling them to look at this guy wearing a MAGA hat.”
The situation only escalated from there. Before he knew it, Joseph said there were nearly a dozen employees at his table harassing him about the hat and calling for him to be thrown out of the restaurant. Some of the workers allegedly threatened to punch the young man in the face while another witness claimed she heard one of the employees use the n-word.
Joseph tried to escape to the bathroom, but the threats and intimidation continued. As he and his girlfriend walked back to their table, the young man said a group of employees came out of nowhere and started clapping and shouting things in his direction. A fellow diner backed up Joseph’s claims, saying kitchen employee started booing loudly when the Trump supporter walked by.
One of the other employees reportedly cut his eyes at Joseph and started clenching his fists as if he was ready to fight.
“He got behind me and another coworker came by and they were staring at each other and he fist bumped him and then he started looking at me, balling his fists, smacking his fists, trying to scare me,” Joseph told The Daily Wire.
The young man and his girlfriend’s family eventually left the restaurant and were met outside by police. Joseph said he filed a complaint about the incident. So far, no charges have been filed but Cheesecake Factory said it has since fired two of the workers involved.
“Upon learning of this incident, we immediately apologized to the guests in person,” the restaurant said in a statement. “We are conducting an investigation and will take the appropriate corrective action.”
“No guest should ever feel unwelcome in one of our restaurants and we are taking this matter very seriously,” the company added.
