A US Court Sentences An African Restaurant Owner in New York to 2 Years Over BLACK FRIDAY Discount
Two Nigerians and a restaurant owner got into a brutal fight in New York two days ago, Black Friday—a fight which saw the couple throwing a ball of ‘Eba’ at the face of the restaurant owner.
While most people were busy buying electronics and designer wears on the back of the huge US Black Friday discount ritual which has become a global day of huge sales, the Nigerian couples decided to spend their afternoon eating ‘Eba and Efo’.
Of course it was BLACK FRIDAY but what this couple did not know was that, African businesses, especially restaurants do not give a hoot about dishing out any discounts—let alone cut prices by half.
After placing their order for two balls of Eba with Efo stew—which they topped with imported fine Palm-wine, the couple settled to enjoy.
They also had suya for a starter…
When it was all done, the restaurant owner dropped the bill on their table, a total of 165 dollars—as customary of all African restaurants, it was expensive.
According to court documents ScrewLife.Com obtained this morning, the man joked about the food being expensive: saying, “gari don come get price and status like that.”
He added, “It’s BLACK FRIDAY and as such we will only pay half…That’s the rules.”
Perhaps the restaurant owner who was identified as Abiola Babalola lacked a sense of humour and considered the man’s comment to be offensive—interpreting it as; she is ripping them off.
Per the prosecution’s statement, Abiola snapped—and asked the couple to shut up and just pay.
This led to series of exchanges and then it got physical when the man threw the left over Eba in the face of Abiola. She responded by throwing at the couple everything she could get her hands on—including a calabash of palm wine.
Tables and chairs were flipped and both the physical and verbal exchanges continued until the police showed up. At this stage, the restaurant owner had smashed the head of the man’s wife with a calabash, leaving her bleeding.
She was arrested for battery, charged and arranged before court in a matter of a few hours.
A judge sentenced her 2 years, saying, “African businesses are required under law to conform, and as such BLACK FRIDAY should be religiously observed.”
He defense that she acted within the borders of self defense was accepted by the court.
As a precedent, this case would require African businesses in United States and perhaps other parts of the world not to only take advantage of the annual BLACK FRIDAY ritual to fill their shops with discounted products which they later sell at exorbitant prices—but to also participate by discounting their own products on the day.