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A Restaurant Is Under Fire for Banning People with Face and Neck Tattoos

An attorney for Little Woodrow’s clarified to a local CBS affiliate that the now-cancelled policy only prohibited face and neck tattoos.
Bild via Imago.

Perhaps you've found yourself in the situation where you arrive at a stuffy restaurant only to discover you're not dressed for the occasion—the restaurant has a jackets-required policy. After a few ignominious moments with a maître d', out comes an ill-fitting blazer from a coat closet.

Dress codes come in many shapes and sizes, but one bar and restaurant chain in Texas had a dress code that included one somewhat unusual clause—no face or neck tattoos. The policy has since been rescinded amidst social media backlash.

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In early November, a customer was denied entry to the Midland, Texas location of the Texas chain Little Woodrow's because of his face tattoo, he alleges.

"I just came to Little Woodrow's and they wouldn't let me in to spend my money because I have a tattoo on my face," Joeseff Rivera said in a post on Facebook from November 8.

The video subsequently spread online, and some took to Little Woodrow's Facebook to voice their displeasure with a policy they saw as discriminatory and perhaps unfair. In his video, Rivera pointed out that the bouncer who denied him entry had tattoos on his arms.

However, legal experts say Little Woodrow's is legally allowed to bar entry to patrons, and an attorney for Little Woodrow's clarified to a local CBS affiliate that the now-cancelled policy only prohibited face and neck tattoos.

"We do not prohibit anyone from having tattoos and entering the establishment. We prefer that there be no face or neck tattoos," Phillip Brinson told CBS before the policy was rescinded. "We don't like to refuse service to anyone, but if somebody comes in and is not dressed appropriately, we will ask them to either change it up a little bit or, in this case with tattoos, cover it up."

Brinson told CBS that he was only aware of two instances in which the policy was enforced—Rivera's, and one other in which a man with a neck tattoo was required to cover it up in order to enter.

Reached for comment, Brinson sent MUNCHIES a press release saying the policy has been abandoned.

READ MORE: Tokyo's First 'Naked' Restaurant Won't Serve Overweight or Tattooed People

"Little Woodrow's does not have an issue with tattoos as evidenced by the fact that we had no restrictions on tattoos of any kind except at two of our sixteen locations," the release read. "At those locations, we implemented a policy where we requested that neck and/or facial tattoos not be openly displayed. After further review, we have rescinded this policy. We continue to focus on providing a safe and comfortable environment for all our guests. The company regularly reviews and modifies its policies when it is deemed reasonable to do so."

That's good news for customers with face and neck tattoos who want to kick back with some cold ones at Little Woodrow's, but it comes with one downside—Justin Bieber can now stink up the joint. You win some, you lose some.