Umi's owner and management sincerely apologize to the Colbert Family and the entire African American community for the mishandling of the dress code incident with Mr. Colbert on Friday, October 23rd, 2020.
We are regretful and apologetic the incident escalated in the manner in which it did. At the heart of the issue, our co-owner, Farshid Arshid, inappropriately expressed his frustration, and he is ashamed.
As a brown person of color himself, Farshid is deeply saddened by the accusations of racism. “I myself having endured countless acts of racism as a middle Easterner against myself and my family, would never intentionally subject any person of color to any act of racism, especially the African American community who has welcomed me with open arms in the past 27 years of my residence in Atlanta. In the heat of the moment, I made an awful decision and took regretful actions in attempting to reinforce our policy. And for that, I’m sorry beyond words,” says Arshid.
In respect of the incident, Umi will be closed until Thursday, November 5th. We are taking some time to reflect on our mistake. We’ll retrain our management and staff on cultural sensitivities and policy protocol, and allow time for the community we’ve hurt to heal.
We’ve learned a lot from this lesson, and we’re asking the entire community for grace as we optimistically look forward to brighter days ahead. Our intent at Umi has always been to spread love through our food and have everyone feel that love. Right now, we’re more dedicated to that than ever. Umi will be reopening with lessons learned, a new approach, and a commitment to maintaining an inviting environment for all patrons.
Umi's owner and management sincerely apologize to the Colbert Family and the entire African American community for the mishandling of the dress code incident with Mr. Colbert on Friday, October 23rd, 2020.
We are regretful and apologetic the incident escalated in the manner in which it did. At the heart of the issue, our co-owner, Farshid Arshid, inappropriately expressed his frustration, and he is ashamed.
As a brown person of color himself, Farshid is deeply saddened by the accusations of racism. “I myself having endured countless acts of racism as a middle Easterner against myself and my family, would never intentionally subject any person of color to any act of racism, especially the African American community who has welcomed me with open arms in the past 27 years of my residence in Atlanta. In the heat of the moment, I made an awful decision and took regretful actions in attempting to reinforce our policy. And for that, I’m sorry beyond words,” says Arshid.
In respect of the incident, Umi will be closed until Thursday, November 5th. We are taking some time to reflect on our mistake. We’ll retrain our management and staff on cultural sensitivities and policy protocol, and allow time for the community we’ve hurt to heal.
We’ve learned a lot from this lesson, and we’re asking the entire community for grace as we optimistically look forward to brighter days ahead. Our intent at Umi has always been to spread love through our food and have everyone feel that love. Right now, we’re more dedicated to that than ever. Umi will be reopening with lessons learned, a new approach, and a commitment to maintaining an inviting environment for all patrons.
Umi's owner and management sincerely apologize to the Colbert Family and the entire African American community for the mishandling of the dress code incident with Mr. Colbert on Friday, October 23rd, 2020.