Last month, two Uptown Dallas establishments were accused of discriminatorily enforcing dress codes.
The latest incident took place on June 26. Raytron Mayfield, a Black middle school health teacher, and his girlfriend were refused service at Parliament, a “neighborhood cocktail bar that offers a cozy and welcoming vibe.”
A viral Instagram video shows owner Eddie Campbell barring the duo from entering the bar. The audibly upset teacher was refused service because his blue Nike Air Jordan shoes and print shorts didn't meet the dress code. The video shows a woman wearing Nike sneakers and other patrons wearing shorts inside the bar.
“You can't do that to people and get away with it,” Mayfield says. “In the day of social media, you got to pull out your phone.”
A week earlier, on Father’s Day, Black comedian Josh Drake and Black fitness trainer Dominique Nicole were forced out of McKinney Avenue’s Baboush Mediterranean Mezza and Bar. Management deemed the trainer’s shorts out of dress code.
The Mediterranean restaurant's dress code is “comfortable, but polished,” requiring smart-, business- and elegant-casual attire. No shoes, no service. A sign is posted on the glass door, in white lettering, about knee height, a couple of feet off the ground.
“These dress codes are extremely vague on purpose,” Drake says. “They're left up to the interpretation of the person that holds the authority. … It's strategically written that way to be biased, and it was written in a way to allow them the final authority.”
A YouTube video documents the incident at Baboush. Eaters, some of whom are wearing shorts, watch as the manager, who has since been fired, throws Drake’s bag out the front door and locks them out of the restaurant.
It’s not just Uptown that emphasizes dress codes.
Whiskeys, an intimate Black-owned whiskey bar in Exposition Park, has a simple website. Its one page lists the hours and dress code. They want you to know when to come and what to wear, or not to wear. Athletic gear and flip-flops are not allowed. Baseball hats must be worn "traditionally."
The bar is touted as a “champion for racial equity” and a “safe space for Black excellence” on Instagram. Black Millennials of Dallas, a community organization, recognized Whiskeys and Parliament as two of their top three recommended bars in Dallas in 2022. Whiskeys did not respond to our request for an interview.
Baboush issued an apology on Juneteenth.
Campbell denies race played a part in his action.
“Parliament has always been an upscale neighborhood cocktail den, and I have always been so proud of Parliament, which has always been blessed with such beautiful and diverse guests,” he said in an email to the Observer.
The adoption of a dress code was aimed at maintaining the cocktail den's upscale environment.
“Parliament had become too casual,” he says. “Parliament absolutely allows casual attire, but I’m drawing the line at pajamas and swimsuits. I've made this decision for the safety of our guests and the quality of their experience.”
Parliament’s dress code leaves room for interpretation. Tank tops on men, bathing suits, pajamas, visible underwear, see-through clothing and bandanas are barred. Certain clothing like sleeveless shirts on men, outdoor work clothes and skin-tight bodysuits may be prohibited at the manager's discretion.
“I'm just not sure how many great drinking experiences happen in tank tops, pajamas, bathing suits and extremely casual attire,” the owner says. “We are seeking to cultivate the decorum present in the bar from its opening days. We also aim to provide a safe environment.”
On July 6, the business owner issued a social media statement in which he condemns racism and apologizes for miscommunicating.
“This was my second day attempting to manage the front door and explaining our new dress code, and I have learned that managing a dress code at the front door of an establishment, especially a brand new dress code and especially in your own establishment, is hard business,” Campbell said in the statement. “It is not fun and the last thing I ever want to do is hurt someone’s feelings.”
In the apology, Campbell details how he believed Mayfield's shorts were swim trunks. Parliament is surrounded by apartments with pools. The bar owner says the bar has had issues arising from drunken swimmers coming to the bar, so he has banned swimwear from the bar.
Parliament also does not allow athletic wear, he says. Thus, the combination of the two violated the newly adopted dress code. Campbell takes responsibility for doing a "poor job" communicating that and states that blue Jordan shoes are permitted.
Dallas City Code states if a place of public accommodation, including bars and lounges, posts dress, grooming or identification requirements, the requirements must be posted “in writing in a conspicuous, clearly visible location outside each public entrance of the place of accommodation; and at least seven days before becoming effective.”
The Dallas Office of Equity and Inclusion’s Fair Housing office oversees code violations.
“The Office of Equity and Inclusion, Fair Housing is here and would encourage any individual who has felt targeted because of their protected class, with business or other public accommodations to reach out,” Dr. Lindsey Wilson, the director of the department, says.
Mayfield, who was not allowed entrance at Parliament, says that the dress code was not displayed at the entrance on the day of the incident. On July 18, the dress code was visibly displayed next to the bar’s entrance.
The city ordinance is not in vain. The use of dress codes as a pretense for discriminatory and racist practices in Dallas is a “lingering problem” that was written about five years ago at PaperCity.
In 2015, the now-closed Kung Fu Saloon, also located in Uptown, entered a consent decree with a federal court over allegations of engaging in “practices to limit the number of African American and Asian patrons.” Kung Fu Saloon was fined $400 by the city for racist dress code implementation.
Uptown’s now-closed Trophy Room denied entry to three minority women on June 17, 2017. Their blouses, skirts and heels were too casual for the establishment, according to The Dallas Morning News.
In 2021, Downtown’s Ravenna Italian Grille went viral for refusing services to a Black family because of the dress code.
That same year, Vandelay Hospitality Group was at the center of two lawsuits. Drake’s Hollywood, owned by Vandelay, faced allegations of biases dress code enforcement against lower-income and non-white customers. Six current or former employees corroborated claims, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Park Cities’ Hillstone took issue with a Black man’s vintage denim vest in September 2022, according to Eater.
“They've [restaurants and bars] gotten so incredibly bold in the Dallas area,” Drake says. “They don't care that we're recording them anymore. They don't care that we're making a fuss. They don't care that it's going viral. It is going to continue to happen because of the vagueness.”
Individuals who feel targeted because of their race, gender or protected class can file a complaint with the Fair Housing Office. Complainants can expect to receive a response within seven days.
”Documentation is critical,” Wilson says.
She advises those seeking to file a complaint to include videos, photos, witness contact information and names of the individuals involved. All documentation is taken into consideration when the fair housing team conducts its investigation.
“It is our mission to work towards the elimination of any discrimination, as the city of Dallas doesn't stand with any form of discrimination,” the director says.
Wilson says that businesses should be thinking about equity when they develop dress codes and that the city analyzes dress codes and integration processes for biases. Businesses should consider who these regulations may disproportionately affect.
“These bars that are in the Uptown and the downtown area, they know what they're doing,” Drake says. “They've been around the block long enough. They know who they want in their building. They know who they want to spend money there.”
