Route 22 BBQ — Restaurant in Union

Extremely Disrespectful and Unwelcoming

This establishment’s treatment toward Black customers and delivery drivers is outright disrespectful and unacceptable. I visited Route 22 BBQ on 11/6/24 at 2:30 pm to pick up an UberEats order, and the experience was shocking.

Upon entering, I quietly waited as two white customers were served in a calm, respectful manner. When my turn came, however, the man behind the counter immediately started yelling, repeatedly shouting “accept it now!” before I could even confirm the order. I tried explaining that I needed to take a photo of the food as part of UberEats protocol, but he only got louder. His volume and aggressive tone were so unsettling that even the kitchen staff stopped to see what was happening.

I remained calm and attempted to de-escalate, but he refused to hand over the food, saying I didn’t have to take it. It was apparent that my presence as a Black person was treated differently from the white customers who faced no such hostility.

No one—especially someone doing their job—deserves to be humiliated and yelled at like this. It’s clear that this restaurant has no respect for Black customers or delivery drivers, and I would caution anyone against supporting an establishment with such a disregard for basic decency...

This restaurant is now under new management and that's something they seriously should have announced. The food here used to be so good,so was the service. Now, Horrible is an understatement. I actually recommended someone to try the food thinking it was the same old place,they were so upset with their experience. They even sent me pictures of all the food they ordered bc they were so excited to try,then they shared with me how disappointed they were. I went there with my husband thinking how,we ordered our usual half chicken ,rice and fries 😐 devastation.! Today was the last straw...they used to make really great chicken breast salads and the price was amazing ,a tray for 15$,I figured,hey they can't mess up a salad while I waited for the salad that the girl on the phone couldn't understand, as she quoted me 66$ for a garden salad with a whole chicken breast,and she was dead serious,I watched the staff casually converse ,some on their phone , while others moved as slow as snails to prep trays. Then Surprise!!I just bought what I thought was the same salad to find out it was a MUCH smaller salad for the same price,and Dear Lord they even changed the salad...

I am writing to formally complain about the unprofessional conduct of a staff member at your establishment. I am an Uber Eats delivery driver and experienced an unpleasant interaction while picking up an order today.

The individual who handled the order spoke to me in a very unprofessional manner. This verbal interaction was unprovoked and quite upsetting. Furthermore, I understand that this individual has also filed a complaint with Uber, which could potentially lead to the deactivation of my account.

Regardless of any personal circumstances, there is no excuse for treating anyone with disrespect. We are all working together to ensure customer satisfaction, and a collaborative environment is essential. Speaking to delivery drivers in a condescending or aggressive way is counterproductive and unacceptable.

I am concerned that this individual's behavior reflects poorly on your establishment and could negatively impact the working relationship with delivery drivers who are essential to your business.

Thank you for your time and attention to...