BUSTED: Denny’s employees fired for making black patrons pay before eating -- but not white customers

Several employees at a Washington Denny's have been fired after they insisted black patrons pay for their food in advance while letting white customers eat first and pay on the way out.

According to the Tri-City Herald, a white couple were sitting in the Federal Way all-night restaurant when they witnessed the confrontation with the husband posting what he saw on Facebook.

In his Facebook post, Palmer Pelham states he and his wife were having a "date night" in the nearly empty restaurant when some young black men entered.

"A few minutes after we sat down four young African American Men walk in to eat," Pelham recalled. "They have to wait about 10 minutes even though the restaurant is empty to be seated. Two other single white men come in and are seated immediately. My wife and I order and our server goes back to kitchen. Finally she go over the table of the young men and takes their orders. She brings our food out and we start eating. The server comes out of the back about 5 minutes later and walks over the the young men's table with their order slips. She then asks for them to pay before the cook will prepare their food. She says that she has had several people order food and leave without paying so her manager said she had to have them pay first."

Noting that the men politely asked to talk to the manager, Pelham said the employee angrily stomped away and spoke with the manager.

"The manager was shaking his head and wagged his finger at her. He then walked over to a computer in another part of the restaurant and started typing on it," he wrote. "The young men did not make a scene or disrupt other people. They were complaining a little bit but quietly. I tell them when the manager comes to ask why my wife and I did not have to pay for our meals in advance or show our money."

Pelham states he then got into an arguement with the server and accused her of being a racist, with her manager instructing her "not to talk to me."

Before learning that Denny's had dismissed the employees, Pelham wrote, "I finished paying and said that I was never going to Denny's again. They young men thanked us as we left."

Denny's has released a statement saying: "We are deeply disappointed and outraged by the situation that took place at our independently-owned franchise restaurant in Federal Way, Washington. Denny’s has zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind. This type of behavior is unacceptable for any reason and is clearly inconsistent with our practices and policies. After a swift investigation, the employees involved in this incident are no longer employed by our franchisee and no longer a part of the Denny’s system."

You can read the whole Facebook post here.