‘Only OK If One of You Says It?’: North Carolina Restaurant Staffers Quit Simultaneously After Their Boss Used N-word Repeatedly, Fired Black Bartender Who Confronted Her

Numerous workers from the same restaurant in Durham, North Carolina, collectively resigned after their boss fired a Black employee and a manager who would not defend her repeated use of the n-word.

Lisa Callaghan, the white owner of a Southern cuisine restaurant called Plum Southern Kitchen & Bar reportedly used the racial slur while criticizing the lyrics of Kendrick Lamar’s “Euphoria,” according to INDY Week.

Eight former workers verified that the incident happened in May.

According to their accounts, staff members played the song while prepping for dinner service when the restaurant was closed. Callaghan expressed discomfort with the song’s use of the N-word, but what troubled the employees was when she started using the word herself.

“I am so sick of hearing n—r this, n—r that, n—r, n—r, n—r,” she said , according to multiple former employees who overheard Callaghan’s remarks.

A Black bartender confronted Callaghan to challenge her use of the slur, telling her it wasn’t OK and they would “unpack this later.”

However, right before the restaurant opened, Callaghan began to badger the bartender, the witnesses say.

The bartender, who spoke to INDY on the condition of anonymity, said Callaghan asked why it was “only OK if one of you says it?’”

“When you say ‘one of you,’ do you mean n—rs?’” the bartender responded. “And she said, ‘Well, yes, I guess so.’”

“At that point, I was just like, ‘Listen, I think that it is a good idea for you to not speak to me at all right now.’”

The bartender went to Plum’s executive chef Trent Shank shortly after the conversation with Callaghan for suggestions on how to best respond. Shank and the other employees who heard Callaghan use the slur decided it would be best for their boss to take some time away.

Callaghan agreed and took two weeks off. When she returned, the work environment drastically shifted. She began singling out the only two Black employees, constantly asking them about the incident and tensions only increased, former workers said.

Then, on June 24, the restaurant’s pastry chef, who is also Shank’s wife resigned. Emma Shank told INDY Week she “no longer felt comfortable as an employee in that building and working for [Callaghan].”

That same day, Callaghan fired the Black bartender.

The bartender said that Callaghan fired her at the end of her shift, and said she was “part of a chapter she needed to close.”

Then, Callaghan gave the bartender an envelope containing $700 that she called “severance,” and added, “I also hope that this check, as a sign of good faith, will be enough for you to speak positively about your time here.”

Shortly after, Callaghan fired Trent Shank for reportedly refusing to stick up for her in the aftermath of the incident, according to some former employees.

Shank confirmed that he was fired, but didn’t provide details on the circumstances of his termination due to concerns about legal retaliation. However, he said several staff members expressed their anger about the layoffs, telling him they preferred not to work at Plum without his leadership.

Shank had been with the restaurant since it opened in Durham and helped build Plum’s management team. Many former employees declared that Shank did a phenomenal job cultivating a positive and uplifting work atmosphere.

On June 27, Callaghan emailed the staff about Shank’s departure and referenced her “mistake” that caused tensions within the restaurant.

“This has been a very difficult period for all of us at Plum,” Callaghan wrote in that email. “My mistake, using a word that deeply offended, has grown tentacles that have stolen the camaraderie that we always had. I deeply regret my mistake.”

Callaghan also stated that the restaurant would be temporarily closed and they would be making some branding and menu changes.

Right after the email was sent, the majority of the staff quit, including the chef de cuisine, the sous chef, the pastry chef, and more than a dozen servers, bartenders, hosts, line cooks, and dishwashers. Callaghan offered some employees money to stay, but they declined.

On June 28, the restaurant posted on its social media accounts that it would be closed from July 2 to July 10. It remains closed as of July 19.

Several former staff members said that up until the racial incident, they loved working at Plum and described a stellar work environment and relationship with Callaghan.

“All of the staff got along really, really well. I’ve always felt othered in service industry jobs. Plum, at least at first, felt like a really safe and comfortable space for me to be in,” the former bartender said. “There was never, like, racial tension.”

In a statement, Callaghan confirmed that she used the slur and apologized.

“I reiterated the offensive lyrics in explaining the discomfort or offense the words could cause others in our space,” Callaghan said. “I believe it was a mistake to repeat the words, regardless of my intent. I am profoundly sorry that this caused injury or distress to the employees to whom I spoke.”

‘Only OK If One of You Says It?’: North Carolina Restaurant Staffers Quit Simultaneously After Their Boss Used N-word Repeatedly, Fired Black Bartender Who Confronted Her