03 Dec TRUE Kitchen + Kocktails Owner Says Restaurant Thriving After Anti-Twerking Tirade

Source: True Kitchen + Kocktails / Instagram

TRUE Kitchen + Kocktails in Dallas, Texas found itself the center of a debate regarding respectability politics and the rights of an entrepreneur among other topics. The owner, who went viral for his anti-twerking rant inside the establishment, says TRUE is booked and busy for the foreseeable future despite the “bad” press.

TMZ has the scoop:

The Dallas restaurant’s owner, Kevin Kelley, tells TMZ … the joint’s been inundated with requests to dine there since he gained some notoriety for his anti-twerking speech earlier this week.

He says TRUE’s been a reservation-only business since they opened 5 months ago, and they’re all booked up now for the foreseeable future. More importantly, Kelley says sales have remained strong in wake of what went down … and he has no plans to change anything up.

The owner tells us … “I’m glad the public has had a chance to decide what they do and don’t want in their restaurants. The effect on our restaurant has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Some agree with Kelley in establishing ground rules in a place he pays the lease on and wants a finer dining experience for Black patrons. On the other hand, some took issue with Kelley’s approach and setting, noting that the presence of a DJ playing upbeat party music somewhat encourages the twerking that took place.

When the moment was taking over social media earlier in the week, some in social media made notice of Kelley charging over $10,000 for table rentals for a holiday event.

Either way, as many former patrons and observers also noted, TRUE Kitchen + Kocktails appeared to be popping and their reservations are only going up.

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Photo: Instagram