A group of young women have accused a restaurant in Texas of refusing them entry because of their outfits.
In a TikTok video, one of the group claimed that their reservation at Cocody Restaurant and Bar in River Oaks, Houston, was not honored because some of their dresses were “too short.”
In the widely-shared clip, uploaded by @roszzemary, one woman scans her camera around the group - that was all Black women - and claims another was not allowed in because her shoulders were exposed. The footage show the women wearing colorful, figure-hugging dresses for a birthday night out.
“IT IS DEFINITELY OKAY FOR RESTAURANTS TO HAVE DRESS CODES, HOWEVER THE SECURITY GUARDS SHOULD KEEP THE SAME ENERGY WHEN IT COMES TO EVERYONE, AND I MEAN EVERYBODY!!!” the TikToker captioned the post.
The viral video has since racked up over 167,000 likes. In a follow-up post, the TikTok user explained that the group had booked a table at the restaurant on their friend’s birthday.
“And, for us to really get there, and for them to say you guys cannot come in because of what you’re wearing when, in reality, right in front of our eyes, we saw other people coming in and out of Cocody wearing this,” she said.
The clip includes footage of other diners, whom the women claim were allowed entry to the restaurant. Those diners were also wearing short, figure-hugging dresses.
In a statement obtained by Click2Houston, a spokesperson for Cocody said that the restaurant was “aware of the video circulating on social media regarding our dress code policy.”
The spokesperson said that the restaurant “consistently” enforces its dress code and treats its guests with “respect and professionalism.” In the statement, the spokesperson also claimed that the viral clip “does not reflect the full context of the interaction and is incomplete and misleading.”
On Cocody's website, the restaurant’s dress code is described as “smart wear, business casual or professional attire.”
“Athletic wear, sleepwear, slippers, excessively revealing clothing, or exposed undergarments are not permitted,” the website continues. “Management reserves the right to decline entry to guests who do not meet these requirements.”
According to the website, the restaurant takes its name from a suburb in Abidjan, a city in Côte d’Ivoire where Cocody’s owners grew up.
Lionel Debon, who is the executive chef at the French-inspired restaurant, has worked in several Michelin-starred restaurants.
The Independent has contacted the video’s original poster and Cocody Restaurant & Bar for comment.
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