‘Too revealing.’ Louisiana restaurant refuses to serve woman over outfit, suit says
A Louisiana woman is suing what used to be one of her favorite restaurants, saying she was refused service over an outfit she wore to the eatery in July.
But she had on the same two-piece outfit — a floral strapless top and matching ankle-length skirt — when she dined at Stab’s Prime Steak and Seafood in Baton Rouge two weeks earlier, according to her lawsuit filed April 18 in federal court. The venue is one of two Stab’s locations in Baton Rouge.
Y’Mine McClanahan still feels “humiliated and ashamed” from when the steak house’s co-owner publicly turned her away, telling her that her outfit was “too revealing” on July 23, the complaint says.
She was told by the co-owner that her outfit went against the Stab’s “business casual” dress code, according to the complaint. Part of the exchange was filmed by McClanahan, her attorneys wrote in the filing.
At the time, McClanahan, a nurse who lives in Baton Rouge, was the vice president of the NAACP’s local Baton Rouge chapter and had regularly dined at Stab’s. Now she’s an executive committee member of the Baton Rouge NAACP, her attorney said.
McClanahan, who’s Black, accuses the restaurant of having discriminatory, double standards in favor of white patrons when it comes to dress code enforcement because, according to her lawsuit, white patrons and employees have worn “less appropriate attire.”
Stab’s didn’t immediately return McClatchy News’ request for comment April 23.
McClanahan is represented by attorneys William Most and David Lanser, of Most & Associates in New Orleans.
“Ms. McClanahan decided to bring this lawsuit to ensure that selective enforcement of dress code policy and other forms of discrimination are not tolerated in restaurants and other public places,” Lanser said in an emailed statement to McClatchy News on April 23.
McClanahan’s lawsuit argues that white patrons and employees wore similar or “even more revealing attire,” and were still seated by Stab’s.
The filing shows eight photos as examples, including five images of customers from the restaurant’s social media page, according to McClanahan’s attorneys.
In one photo of an employee, a still image from a video McClanahan had recorded, a server is seen “wearing fishnets and short-shorts,” the complaint says.
McClanahan ultimately left Stab’s and visited a different Baton Rouge restaurant, where she had a more positive experience following the “extremely humiliating” denial of service on July 23, according to her lawsuit.
At the restaurant, her attorneys wrote “she was not only served, but received several compliments on her outfit.”
Lawsuit asks for a jury trial
McClanahan asks for a jury trial with her lawsuit and also seeks relief, a declaratory judgment and an unspecified amount in damages.
She’s suing Stab’s on three causes of action: violations of Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal law that prohibits discrimination in public locations, violations of Louisiana state law and negligence.
“Stab’s committed negligence in its failure to apply the dress code in an equitable and non-discriminatory fashion,” the lawsuit says.
This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 5:44 PM with the headline "‘Too revealing.’ Louisiana restaurant refuses to serve woman over outfit, suit says."
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