Managers of the Atlanta-area Ikea furniture store angered staff and customers by including a menu for the location’s restaurant they said was inspired by Juneteenth on the holiday, June 19.
CBS46 in Atlanta spoke to employees Monday about the menu, which they said included fried chicken, watermelon and collard greens. Employees did not want to be on camera for fear of repercussions, said the outlet.
They said the menu was sent out through emails which claimed it was a way to honor Black Americans on the holiday, which celebrates the end of slavery. However, the employees said no Black staff members were consulted regarding the menu.
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“You cannot say serving watermelon on Juneteenth is a soul food menu when you don’t even know the history, they used to feed slaves watermelon during the slave time,” an anonymous employee told CBS46.
Huffington Post editor Phillip Lewis shared a Tweet with a menu listing.
Customers also found the menu offensive, said CBS46.
After 33 employees called off of work on Saturday, a store manager sent an apology email. Managers also told CBS46 they realized that the making the menu was wrong and then sent a new menu that featured collard greens and cornbread.
Ikea is a Sweden-based furniture company. The Atlanta location opened in 2005, according to Atlanta Magazine.