Muslim Family Called ‘Terrorists’ At Applebees in Audubon

For local resident Anwar Wright, the evening of Dec. 30, 2019 was set aside for a relaxing dinner with his wife and children at the Applebee’s on Trooper Road in Audubon.

For local resident Anwar Wright, the evening of Dec. 30, 2019 was set aside for a relaxing dinner with his wife and children at the Applebee’s on Trooper Road in Audubon.

It turned out to be anything but, ending with bigotry, threats, and an alarming Islamophobic confrontation right before his family’s eyes. What’s more, Wright says the manager failed to act on the situation, drawing comparisons to a recent incident in New Jersey where an Applebee’s manager was fired for kicking out a patron making hateful comments about Islam.

The family was called “terrorists”.

In a statement, Jeff Warden, president and CEO of the Rose Group, an Applebees franchisee, said that the manager took action.

“We have zero tolerance for racism or bigotry of any kind in our restaurants and want all to feel welcome,” Warden said in an email to Patch. “The individual causing the disruption in the video was asked to leave by restaurant management once they were made aware of the incident.”

It’s not the first incident involving Islamophobia at an Applebees in the region. Amanda Breaud, the 25-year-old manager of the Applebees in Middletown, New Jersey, was fired for kicking out a guest who went on a rant that included comments like “Muslim people are disgusting.” She’s now filing a lawsuit.