Many Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants I patronize in Northern California post a notice saying, “We reserve the right to refuse service to any person”. What is the intent of such a notice? Do they know what kind of right they say they “reserve”? This is an example of a gross misunderstanding of the meaning of rights.
The American society is blessed with many human rights written into federal and state laws. Common sense will tell you that these rights do NOT include the right to discriminate based on race, religion, sex or belief.
This notice posted at many Asian restaurants tends to remind me of the “White Only” sign when blacks were refused service sanctioned by the Southern State laws in a bygone era. We should seriously question the real intent of this notice. The restaurant owners are ignorant of their rights. Their business license only grants them the right to open a restaurant, but they must abide by all the existing laws that include equal treatment for all customers.
The notice posted literally means they can refuse service to any person they dislike by ignorantly invoking the word “right”. In this way, they are flouting with the discrimination laws of the land. When operating a restaurant, they only have the right to refuse service to a person who cannot pay, dressed improperly, or disturbing the enjoyment of their customers. They must serve any person who comes in to buy a meal. This is the rule of living in a capitalist society that values fair exchange — you pay and you get served. A good business owner understands that the customer is king and won’t fuss about his own rights, which is no more special than any other customer.
The right to refuse service needs not be explicitly written down but implicitly understood with common sense. If the restaurant owners think they have the right to refuse service to any person they dislike, they are flouting with the law. The wording of the notice shows their intention to discriminate. The notice does not protect their business as they think. On the contrary, it brings them potential trouble with the law. Already, it has alienated some customers, myself included, thereby hurting their own business.
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