*Warning: long post but extremely important, please read and share publicly.

On Saturday, October 12th, Myself and two others were subjected to unprovoked and unfair treatment by Ernie's Cafe & Steak House when we went for breakfast, likely based on our race. From the beginning of our service, we were treated rudely by the staff. When we ordered something and it wasn't up to the usual standards and attempted, politely, to get it exchanged for something else, we were met with coldness and disrespect. We asked to speak to the owner, and were told that he wouldn't even come to our table, and that we had to go in the back where he was cooking to speak to him. We were accused, by him, of coming into the restaurant every week causing issues, and when we asked for evidence, were given none. We were then told that we were complaining, and when we tried to explain ourselves, were cut off by the owner and he walked away. We decided that we weren't going to put up with this behavior, and walked out, leaving our food and drinks untouched. We were followed out of the restaurant, called terrorists, had pictures taken of us, berated, and banned. Not only that, but we had the police called on us, as well as outright lies told to the police about our behavior. Furthermore, our female friend, due to being so upset by how we were being treated, left her phone in the restaurant, and after about 30 minutes of trying to locate it, with the restaurant claiming that they didn't have it, it was found outside in the back of the restaurant by their dumpster. We did not walk that way to get back to our car, so there was no way that she could have dropped it, and so it was deliberately placed there. Now we are in the Columbia Police Department system as potential trespassers, so if we ever go back into the restaurant, we will be arrested.

DO NOT EAT AT Ernie's Cafe & Steak House! They are racist, and do not deserve our business. They called the POLICE on three Black graduate students simply because we demanded to be treated better. No longer will we stand idly by and put up with these racist incidents. This was an honestly traumatizing experience, never in my life have I been treated in such a way or had the police called on me. The fear that I felt when the police pulled up and we found out that it was for us is something I can't quite explain. This is unfair and we will not stand for it.