Pregnant Woman ‘Shamed’ By Restaurant For Exposing Her Belly In Crop Top, Was Refused Service

Nov 02, 2022

Being pregnant can be a time of discomfort for many expectant mothers. On a hot day, wearing what is most comfortable is the best choice for people sometimes, which is why Charisha Raylee Gobin wore a long flowing skirt and crop top to a restaurant in Marysville, Washington on a hot day in September 2017. However, she was denied service due to her crop top that day.

Most of us go out of our way to show kindness to expectant mothers. After all, we know what a difficult nine months of pregnancy can be for many women. From offering our chairs on public transportation to just flashing a kind smile, most of us try to do little things for pregnant women that demonstrate how we empathize with their journey.

However, one restaurant in Marysville, Washington, Buzz Inn Steakhouse, asked a pregnant woman to leave their premises back in September 2017, for not adhering to their restaurant policy by wearing a crop top that revealed her bare belly, reported KIRO 7.

Gobin was seven months along in her pregnancy at the time of the incident. It was a hot summer night, so she dressed in a flowing skirt and a cropped t-shirt with the words "weirdo" emblazoned on the chest.

While the outfit might be a bit shocking to those from more traditional generations, crop tops have been a staple in modern fashion trends for quite some time now. The only thing that separated Gobin from other crop top-wearers was the fact that her belly protruded from under the hem of her cropped tee.

According to Gobin on CBS News, the restaurant cited "health code violations" as the reason why they asked her to leave.

“I was hungry, and the waitress, bartender stopped us and said ‘I’m sorry, you cannot be here in that shirt.’ And I said, ‘Are you being serious with me right now?’ And she said, ‘Yup, you cannot be here in that,’” Gobin explained. She was seven and a half months pregnant with twins at the time.

Gobin was livid when she exited the restaurant and posted an angry rant on her Facebook page, accompanied by a picture of the allegedly unacceptable outfit.

“Just because my belly was bigger and sticking out but had it been anyone else I do not think there would have been any problem whatsoever,” added Gobin. “I was livid. There was no way I was going to stay there.”

KIRO 7 spoke with the Buzz Inn server that denied Gobin service to get her side of the story. The server said that she did ask Gobin to cover up because the restaurant has a “no shirt, no shoes, no service,” policy and that the top Gobin had worn did not constitute a shirt. The server added that she would have asked anyone else in that same top to cover up.

To that, Gobin replied that she has never heard of a crop top not counting as a shirt, and emphasized that she “was wearing a shirt.”

“It had sleeves, I did not even have cleavage showing,” Gobin insisted and added that she felt like she was body-shamed from the incident. “It was ridiculous that I was shamed in the first place and had to go drive across town to eat.”  

According to Gobin, her post on Facebook had garnered an “overwhelmingly positive response,” which surprised her. “I think it says that everybody pretty much agrees that I was not out of bounds or out of line, anyway,” the mom-to-be noted as she added the Buzz Inn had lost her business.

As the story went viral and local community residents vowed to never step foot in the restaurant again, the management of the establishment sprung into action to issue an apology on their social media page:

"The server in question has been with our (company) for almost 20 years," the statement to the local news media issued by Buzz Inn management read. "(She) was trying to use her best judgment and by no means was trying to be demeaning to (Gobin)." The company went on to offer their "sincerest apologies."

While most were outraged by the restaurant's actions, some community members actually sided with the restaurant, arguing that Gobin's outfit was inappropriate, whether she was pregnant or not.

In fact, there were many comments given on the story that was posted to YouTube that supported the server and the restaurant’s policies. Many viewers of the video who agreed with the server’s decision to turn Gobin away talked about how her dressing was not appropriate for a public eating place.“I side with the restaurant on this one, time and a place for everything,” one of the top comments read. 

“I would cover up with some clothing just to protect those babies,” wrote one Natalie Michalik. “Or herself from burns. You don’t want to drop a slice or cup of tea on that belly.”

The incident even led other customers of the steakhouse to write reviews of the restaurant on Google and give their two cents on the situation.

One customer, Eileen Dietz, wrote: “Everyone's complaining about the pregnant lady that came in half naked. I was there with my family when she came in. My first thought was put some **** clothes on. You're pregnant, good for you. That doesn't mean you have to show it off. Have some class. You're at a steakhouse for Christ's sake."

“Five stars because they turned away someone with inappropriate attire that violated health code,” another reviewer, Michael Heath wrote. “I would not be admitted wearing what that pregnant woman was wearing who is on the news now. It's sanitation and it's their duty.”

However, another patron sided with Gobin and her plight as a would-be mom: "If you can't have respect for a pregnant woman, how do you respectfully service your customers ... good luck... you'll need it... I'll never eat at one of your rest(a)urants, or anything named close to it."

Needless to say, people were divided about the incident. Whether concerned about modesty or the treatment of a pregnant woman, there were supporters on both sides.

According to Health Hub, an exposed belly “has no known adverse effects on the developing baby.” But in places like restaurants where food spillage may happen, an exposed belly might be more prone to injury than a belly covered by fabric from hot food like soups spilling on it if an accident happens. 

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this story. Was Charisha Raylee Gobin wronged by the Buzz Inn or should she practice better judgment in choosing her outfits in the future? Show this story to your friends so that we can hear their thoughts on the matter as well.