A Tallahassee woman’s claim about a Firehouse Subs manager has sparked online discussion about racial discrimination.
In her trending video, which got over 147,400 views, TikTok creator Kitty (@misskittybby) claims a Firehouse Subs worker exhibited racist behavior toward her and her friend when they tried to use the bathroom.
“Racism in TALLAHASSEEE!!!!” she wrote on-screen. “At Firehouse Subs on West Tennessee Street… this is crazy.”
Kitty says she had to urgently use the bathroom that day and decided to stop at a Firehouse Subs, where she also planned to order some food.
“I come out to my homegirl telling me, ‘Oh, we need to go because he’s calling the cops on us,’” referring to a Firehouse Subs employee.
Kitty says she was confused. “I’m like, ‘What in heck?’” she says, before adding, “And yes, he is white.”
She says she approached him and asked what was wrong. “He says, ‘Y’all need to leave because you’re not paying customers,” she recalls. “And you can’t use the bathroom in here. I’m calling the police.”
She responded by asking why he didn’t go directly to her but instead to her friend who was waiting outside. She also adds that he had no way of knowing whether she planned to order.
Tensions Continue To Rise
“So he gets into it, calls my homegirl a big mouth, all types of crazy s—,” she claims. “And is still on the phone with the cops.”
Kitty says she decided to also call the police. “Of course I call them, and they tell me they wouldn’t do anything,” she says.
She alleges the police also told her that if they arrived and the women were still there, they’d arrest them. “Nothing can happen to him,” she says.
She concludes by issuing a warning to the community.
“So I just want you and everyone who’s Black and a person of color, watch out for Tyler at Firehouse Subs on West Tennessee Street,” she says. “Because apparently, he’ll call the cops on you even if you are a paying customer if you’re Black.”
Commenter Share Similar Experiences At That Location
In the comments section, several viewers who said they were familiar with that Firehouse Subs location backed up Kitty’s claims.
“Lol that’s crazy. I work there,” another commenter claimed. “I know exactly who ur talking about. I hate it there.”
“I remember I was in full Army uniform and was still asked to show my military ID. They said I could’ve been homeless trying to cosplay even though I just parked my damn car in full view of the store and had my Apple Watch and iPhone. Like huh???” another said.
“I always hated that location,” a third said. “Smh they can’t even hide their biases.”
“If there’s not a sign, they can’t hold that agaisnt you,” a fourth chimed in. “You better get a damn lawsuit. i Uber in tally. imma keep my eye out for that firehouse and not go there.”
“Police already said i can’t do anything,” Kitty wrote, responding to the last comment.
Past Discrimination Claims Involving Firehouse Subs
There have been other instances of Firehouse Subs employees allegedly behaving in a racially biased way in the past.
In 2019, for example, a Firehouse Subs location in California fired an employee after they wrote a racial slur on a customer’s receipt. The employee allegedly wrote “ching chong” instead of an international student’s name, according to WIS 10.
A similar incident also occurred at a Firehouse Subs restaurant in West Virginia. Instead of writing the customer’s name, an employee there wrote “ghetto” on the receipt.
@misskittybby Soooo yeah. we were having such a good day too like wtf!???? #tallahassee #fyp
BroBible reached out to Firehouse Subs and Kitty via email for comment.