California woman says Ruth Chris denied birthday dinner over tracksuit

A California woman says Ruth Chris Steak House in Walnut Creek turned away her party during her son’s 13th birthday dinner because her sister wore a tracksuit. She said a manager told the group they could not eat in the dining area and offered only a separate seat in the bar area.

Walnut Creek dinner denial

The woman said the reservation was for a party of 8 and that everyone except her sister was dressed in line with the restaurant’s policy. In her caption about the incident, she wrote: “Reservation for my son’s 13th birthday, party of 8, all except one person (my sister) were dressed in accordance with their “policy”.”

She said the manager first gave her family “a once over” when they walked in, then asked whether her sister was with the group. Her reported response was “um yeaaaa.” She said the manager then told them, “we could not eat in the dining area with her dressed like that.”

Tracksuit dispute

The woman said the manager described the tracksuit as a violation of the dress policy, while she said tracksuits were not listed in the policy. She also said another guest was seated in the main dining area wearing an all black hoodie, even though she said the policy the manager held described the hoodie as unacceptable.

In her account, the manager responded that they “don’t have to be that detailed.” She said her caption after the incident read: “This location discriminates and chooses who & when they want to enforce “policy”. And this manager is RUDE.”

February visit

The woman said she and her sister had been to the same Walnut Creek location in February, and she wore the same tracksuit in a different color without any problems. She also said they had visited the restaurant several times in casual clothing and that dress code had never been enforced during those prior visits.

She said she visits the establishment almost every month, which makes the denial part of a broader complaint about how the policy was applied that night. For diners, the immediate issue is whether the restaurant enforces dress rules consistently at the Walnut Creek location; in this account, the family’s only offered alternative was to split up and sit in the bar area.