Downtown Fort Myers restaurant accused of discriminating against Black customers

The Lee County NAACP is accusing a Fort Myers restaurant of discriminating against Black customers.

The owner of First Street Restaurant and Bar said what happened at his restaurant is unfortunate, but not “white supremacy” as the NAACP described it.

“I am the furthest thing from being a racist that you can probably find in this town,” said the owner Bill Babamov.

But his accuser disagrees and said she has evidence staff treats whites differently than Blacks, and put that evidence on social media and brought it to the Lee County NAACP.

“I have experienced racism in my life but never at this magnitude,” said Nora Potts.

Babamov and Potts started off as partners. Babamov was looking to increase business and Potts said she could help with that.

Together, they held a party at the restaurant on March 13. The deal was to hold them every Sunday thereafter.

But that second Sunday party never happened.

Potts said things turned ugly when she followed up with a First Street manager on Monday.

“She says, ‘I am from Virginia and I have never seen this many Black people at one time,’ so I am like OK and so I said, ‘Did we scare you?’ And she was like no and then she was like ‘And honestly I didn’t want you guys here,'” Potts said.

On Wednesday the 16th, Potts said Babamov called to cancel.

“Because my staff said if you guys come they will not work. They will not serve you, so I’m thinking no this can’t be real like you did not just say this to me,” Potts said.

Babamov said the initial party was overcrowded.

“It wasn’t well organized and I needed more staff to do it right,” he said.

Babamov said he didn’t know about what his manager reportedly said but admitted she suddenly quit.

He is adamant the cancelation has nothing to do with race.

But Potts doesn’t buy it.

She took to social media and got a group to do a sit-in at the restaurant on Sunday.

They ordered to see if they would be served.

The video shows t least part of the group got light refreshments, but Potts claims as the morning went on, the service stopped.

“They came up to our tables, just us. Just the African-American tables and said real quietly but nice, very nice,” Potts said, adding that “She said well our kitchen is broke down or some thing with the kitchen but we won’t be able to serve you guys and I said OK thank you but I watched her as she walked away and she didn’t say anything to the Caucasians around us. Nothing! So I sat there probably about a minute and food came to the table right next to me, a fresh plate of food.”

Babamov said that is not true. He sent WINK News surveillance video to prove it. There is not sound but Babamov said the video showed his manager going to every table to tell them about the broken kitchen.

“Why would I not serve paying customers? It doesn’t make any sense,” Babamov said.

Potts stands by what she saw, heard and how it made her feel.

“I was embarrassed,” she said. “I was ashamed. I felt like, is this really 2022?”

Fort Myers police confirmed officers went to the restaurant on Sunday for patrons who refused to leave after the business closed.

The Lee County NAACP wants the city of Fort Myers to revoke the restaurant’s business license.