Great White Melrose Restaurant Statement After Racism Scandal: 'We Were Named After a Shark' - Old Employees Speak Up

After a video posted by Cassidy Cho, who is known online as @juminjuice, sparked outrage, the Great White Restaurant in Los Angeles' Melrose district has come under fire for alleged racism. The restaurant has released a statement denying the allegations, but two former employees have come forward, claiming the alleged bias is part of 'management culture'.

What Sparked The Outrage

The controversy began when Cho visited the restaurant and noticed a contrast in how diners were being seated. In a now-viral video posted to her social media, Cho pointed out that white patrons were seated in the main dining area, while Asian guests, including herself, were consistently placed in a separate corner of the restaurant.

The video quickly gained traction, with other viewers sharing similar experiences and calling out the restaurant for what they perceived as racially motivated seating practices. The backlash prompted Great White to issue a statement denying the allegations.

Great White Restaurant Denies Racial Discrimination

In a statement to NBCLA, the Great White Restaurant insisted its name was 'inspired by a shark,' and has 'nothing to do with race.' The owners denied accusations of racial discrimination, such as 'seating people based on their ethnicity', saying these allegations are 'absolutely outrageous and completely false.'

They concluded their statement with 'Everyone is welcome here.'

The restaurant's team have also responded to some reviews online, saying they have 'no tolerance of any acts of discrimination at any of our establishments,' and they have 'addressed internally' the situations where staff were reportedly rude to patrons of colour.

Former Employees Claimed It's Part of 'Management Culture'

Sarah Rose Brier, who was an employee of Gran Blanco in Venice Beach in 2023—a restaurant formerly owned by Great White co-founders Sam Trude and Sam Cooper—has come forward sharing her experience working under Trude and Cooper.

She shared on NBCLA that the management explicitly instructed her 'to treat people of colour differently'. 'If Asian guests came in, we were told to seat them outside—like they're never gone to inside table,' Brier said.

Montana Pine, who also worked as a server at Gran Blanco during the same period, corroborated Brier's account about management directive. 'We were instructed to tell people that the restaurant is at full capacity when you know certain demographics came in that they didn't want in the restaurant,' Pine shared.

Both Brier and Pine quit the restaurant a year ago, saying the environment was all 'too much' for them to deal with. During the interview, Brier broke down in tears, 'It was horrible because I knew everything that I was part of was wrong.'

Gran Blanco Distances Itself From Founders

Amid mounting criticism against Great White and its co-founders, Gran Blanco posted a statement on Instagram on Thursday, 9 October:

'We'd like to share that Gran Blanco is now under new ownership and management as of June 1st 2025. We're an independent local operated business committed to creating a welcoming space for everyone in the community and making sure good times are always on the menu!'

Online Criticism Shows No Signs of Slowing

Despite previously naming Great White Melrose as her favourite, Cho said she won't be returning after her experience. At the time of writing, Great White Restaurant has continued to receive criticism online. The comment section on their Instagram account has been disabled.

Comments on the report about the restaurant are scathing: 'No apology, just ... "great white is the name of a shark"', and another adding, 'They named the place "great white" as a hint.'

Meanwhile, the restaurant's Yelp page is no longer accepting new reviews due to the influx of activity. Unconfirmed reports are also circulating online that the owners of Great White are allegedly seeking paid partnerships with Asian-American food influencers, though this has yet to be verified.