Seven Arab Americans Sue Denny's

Allege Discrimination, Say They Were Likened To Bin Laden

(AP) 
Albaradi and a second man, Usama El-A-Baidy, decided to speak to Ascano again about their order.

Angered, Ascano told the short order cooks in the kitchen to cancel the group's order, the suit claims.

El-A-Baidy then asked Ascano why he had used the name bin Laden.

"We don't serve bin Ladens here! You guys, out!" Ascano allegedly said.

A group of officers from the Miami-Dade County and Homestead police departments eating at the Denny's also told the seven men to leave and threatened to arrest them if they didn't, the lawsuit said. The officers have not been identified, Kauffman said.

The Miami-Dade police department had no immediate comment Thursday. The Homestead department spokesman did not immediately return a phone call.

Ascano no longer works for the company, Fernandez said. Ascano does not have a listed phone number and could not be reached for comment.

The 1,600-restaurant chain, which has annual sales that exceed $2 billion, settled a 1994 lawsuit for $54.4 million that accused the chain of asking blacks to prepay for meals. Since then, it has faced at least six more discrimination lawsuits filed by African-Americans and Hispanics and has been investigated in at least two cases involving discrimination against people of Middle Eastern descent.

A spokeswoman at Denny's Spartanburg, S.C., headquarters did not immediately return a call Thursday.