Plano police got to Sambuca 360 in four minutes after an urgent call from the general manager Saturday night.
"He is being aggressive," said in a 911 call WFAA obtained.
Police responded to a disturbance in progress and thought a fight was breaking out.
The 911 tape continues with the manager claiming a black male is escalating the situation. He also told police he was not sure if Johnny Wimbrey had a weapon.
"He used everything in his power to get police to show up in a worked up state. That I was refusing to pay the bill? I've been there several times. I have generated tens of thousands of dollars for Sambuca. I'm not going to pay a $22 bill?"
Wimbrey, a successful motivational speaker and author, was asked to leave after he declined the managers offer to change tables. The manager says the table was reserved by a regular customer and needed the Wimbreys to move.
"There was no reserved seat sign. We were there for 20 minutes," said Wimbrey.
Wimbrey recorded some of what happened when the manager gets angry and kicks the Wimbreys out, but he remains.
"You have to leave because I don't like you. I have to leave because you don't like me?" said Wimbrey.
"What is it he doesn't like about me? He does not know."
The Wimbreys feel they were mistreated because they are black.
"Someone calls police, and they are there like you are a criminal," said Crystal Wimbrey.
Sambuca's owner Kim Forsythe issued a statement saying they have indefinitely suspended the manager without pay.
"While I have identified some areas where I believe 360 failed to deliver quality of service. I am confident that race had absolutely nothing to do with the unfortunate situation that occurred last Saturday night."
Sambuca says the Wimbreys say were offered free drinks and still refused to move. They say the manager did not handle the situation well, and it was disheartening, but reiterate it was not racially motivated.
"You should treat everyone with dignity nothing less and it did not happen here," said Bobbie Edmonds the Wimbreys' attorney.
Here is Sambuca's complete statement:
As the owner of Sambuca 360, I took the recent allegations that a longtime customer was kicked out of 360 last Saturday night based on his skin color very seriously and immediately looked into the circumstances of the incident. While I have identified some areas where I believe 360 failed to deliver the quality of service that we strive to deliver every day to every customer, I am confident that race had absolutely nothing to do with the unfortunate situation that occurred last Saturday night.
In light of the allegations and false information being spread on social media, I believe it is important to provide more information on what occurred last Saturday night and what is being done within our organization in response to the incident. Upon arriving at 360 last Saturday night, Mr. Wimbrey checked in with our hostess and said that he and his wife would be having drinks at the bar and that they did not need a table for dinner. After standing in the bar area for a short time, Mr. Wimbrey sat at an empty table near the stage that had been cleaned for the next reservation. The bar area of 360 is high energy and often filled with numerous guests standing to enjoy the live music, and, unfortunately, the waitress did not realize that Mr. Wimbrey had not been sat at the table by the hostess. Our guests, who had made prior reservations for the table a week in advance, arrived after Mr. Wimbrey had ordered drinks at the table and a manager approached Mr. Wimbrey to let him know that the guests were waiting to be seated at the table they had reserved. It is never fun to move a guest after they have ordered drinks so the manager offered to buy Mr. Wimbrey a round of drinks. Despite the manager’s offer for drinks and other attempts to alleviate the situation, Mr. Wimbrey did not want to move from the table.
After speaking with numerous employees and other guests who observed the incident, I have confirmed that, while the manager lost his composure and failed to deliver the quality of service that guests expect from 360, no racial statements weremade by any 360 employees and race played absolutely no role in this incident. Although I do not feel that the race of our guests should be a topic of discussion, I have also confirmed that the guests with prior reservations for the table where Mr. Wimbrey sat were not white as is being falsely circulated on social media. I deeply regret that the manager did not exercise better judgment and communication skills when dealing with a customer and Ihave taken action to address these failures. The manager has been indefinitely suspended without pay as I complete my investigation. While I am disheartened that accusations of racial bias arose out of this misunderstanding, I am also using this situation to speak with all 360 staff to reaffirm our restaurant’s commitment to providing a fun, welcoming, and safe environment for our guests of all races and to reiterate our company’s longstanding policy prohibiting discrimination of any kind. I have reached out to Mr. Wimbrey to discuss my investigation into this incident further and to personally relay the actions being undertaken by 360 to address our failures. After our discussions, I am hopeful that Mr. Wimbrey and his wife will continue to be a valued and frequent guests of our restaurant.
Sambuca has hired a sensitivity and customer service trainer to address a situation that does not reflect their core values and culture. It gives the company an opportunity to assess and retrain on all levels.