Black IHOP employees say white manager called herself their ‘master’ and mocked Juneteenth
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Four Florida workers have sued IHOP, alleging years of racist comments, humiliation and retaliation at a Pompano Beach restaurant.
Four Black employees at a Florida IHOP are suing the restaurant chain, alleging they endured years of racist comments and humiliation from a white manager — and faced retaliation after they complained.
The lawsuit, filed by servers Margaret Bennett, Stephanie Davis and Carline Hunter and cook Jeffrey Wright, accuses former shift manager Brenda Bertetchuk of creating what the complaint describes as “an atmosphere of intimidation, ridicule and humiliation” at an IHOP in Pompano Beach, Florida.
According to The Independent, the employees allege Bertetchuk repeatedly made racist remarks while they were working.
In one 2023 incident, after a Black customer returned an overcooked omelet, Bertetchuk allegedly told employees, “I thought you people liked it burned.”
The complaint also alleges that Bertetchuk made comments about slavery while acknowledging Black employees who came to work on Juneteenth.
“Why [are] you all at work today if it’s the day my people let your people free?” she allegedly asked.
The workers further allege that Bertetchuk referred to herself as their “master,” said, “If it’s not white, then it’s not right,” and threatened to bring them “chicken and watermelons” for Labor Day. The complaint also says she wore a hat depicting a monkey while around Black employees and mimicked the sound of a whip cracking during some of her alleged comments.
Wright separately alleges that Bertetchuk made repeated sexual comments about his body while touching him.
The employees say they repeatedly complained to management about the alleged discrimination. Instead of improving, they claim conditions worsened.
According to the lawsuit, Bertetchuk later “purposefully turned off” the kitchen’s air conditioning, creating what the complaint called “unsafe, intolerable and excessively hot working conditions.” The employees also allege their hours were reduced or eliminated.
Bertetchuk, who is named as a defendant, told The Independent that she left IHOP about three years ago and declined to comment further, saying she was at work.
IHOP and attorneys representing the chain and franchisee Sunshine Restaurant Merger Sub did not respond to The Independent’s requests for comment.
The lawsuit accuses IHOP of being “recklessly indifferent” to the employees’ federally protected rights and seeks damages for lost wages, emotional distress and other alleged harm, along with punitive damages and legal costs.
The case was filed in August and is pending in federal court in South Florida.