IHOP Manager Allegedly Told Black Staff She Was Their ‘Master’ With ‘Whips,’ Says Lawsuit

A Florida IHOP manager allegedly told Black employees that she was their “master,” threatened them with “whips,” and punctuated the taunt by imitating the sound of one cracking.

And according to Atlanta Black Star, those allegations are at the center of a federal lawsuit brought by four Black employees who say the abuse escalated from racist comments to physical intimidation, sexual harassment, and retaliation after they complained.

Servers Margaret Bennett, Stephanie Davis, and Carline Hunter, along with cook Jeffrey Wright, each spent at least a decade working at IHOP restaurants in Pompano Beach or Fort Lauderdale. Their complaint names IHOP, franchisee Sunshine Restaurant Merger Sub, LLC, and former shift manager Brenda Bertetchuk as defendants.

According to the lawsuit, Bertetchuk repeatedly turned slavery into a workplace punchline. “My people were still selling you guys, so shut up and do your job,” she allegedly told a Black employee in front of Hunter and Davis in July 2023.

One month earlier, Bertetchuk reportedly marked Juneteenth by asking Black staffers, “Why you all at work today if it’s the day my people let your people free?” She allegedly followed that with another remark: “How did you all not know about Juneteenth? It’s the day we freed y’all.”

The complaint paints those remarks as part of a relentless pattern—not isolated comments. Bertetchuk allegedly told Black employees, “If it’s not white, then it’s not right,” wore a monkey hat around them, and referred to herself as “the master” who had “whips.” On some occasions, she allegedly added sound effects by pretending to crack one.

Food also became material for racial abuse, according to the plaintiffs. When a Black customer sent back an overcooked omelet, Bertetchuk allegedly said, “I thought of you people as it burned.” The workers claim she made similar remarks when Black customers returned steak or chicken.

Around Labor Day 2023, she allegedly offered to bring Hunter and Davis “chicken and watermelons.” When Wright arrived wearing knickerbocker-style shorts, she reportedly twisted the clothing term into the N-word in front of other employees.

Wright says Bertetchuk also subjected him to sexually charged racial harassment. The lawsuit alleges that she repeatedly made explicit comments about his body and supposed sexual behavior while touching him, leaning into stereotypes about Black men.

The alleged behavior wasn’t limited to words. Bertetchuk reportedly threw a pancake at Davis, tossed plates aggressively toward Black servers, and told Hunter she wanted to trip her so she would fall on her face.

Meanwhile, Bennett says another white employee at the Fort Lauderdale IHOP regularly unleashed racist tirades against Black customers and coworkers.

After three young Black customers allegedly left without paying in 2022, the server reportedly said he wished he had a gun to “shoot those Black f*ckers.” Months later, Bennett allegedly heard him announce, “I hate these [n-words]; I don’t want to assist or take their orders.”

Although a general manager wrote him up, the lawsuit claims that did not stop him. The server allegedly used racist language on more than 10 occasions, at one point complaining that “f*cking [n-words]” were getting on his nerves.

The plaintiffs say management’s response became punitive once they began reporting the abuse.

After Bennett complained, management allegedly took away the cart servers used to carry dirty dishes, forcing them to haul stacks of plates by hand. Hunter, Davis, and Wright say they reported Bertetchuk to her supervisor and IHOP’s human resources hotline—but conditions only grew worse.

Around August 2023, management allegedly turned off kitchen cooling equipment and repeatedly refused to repair the air conditioning, leaving employees working in punishing heat. The plaintiffs also claim their hours were slashed.

Davis was allegedly left to handle the kitchen alone to make her appear incompetent. Wright says supervisors effectively fired him when they stopped putting him on the schedule. Bennett claims she was disciplined, ordered to “sit down” during an angry confrontation, stripped of hours, and ultimately terminated.

The Florida lawsuit is not the first time an IHOP location has faced allegations involving the mistreatment of Black customers.

In 2024, a Black couple visiting a Mesquite, Texas, IHOP for a birthday celebration said employees told them a waitress refused to serve them because of their race. When confronted, the manager reportedly dismissed the server as simply being “picky.” The waitress, manager, and another employee were fired after video of the confrontation reached social media.

In 2018, an IHOP employee in Clayton, Missouri, falsely accused 10 incoming Black Washington University students of skipping out on a $60 bill. Despite producing receipts, police escorted the students back to the restaurant before a manager confirmed they had paid and were not the suspects. Police later apologized.

That same year, a Missouri IHOP server was fired after printing a racial slur on a Black teenager’s receipt. At a Maine location, a waitress ordered a group of Black teenagers to pay before eating because she feared they would leave without paying. IHOP temporarily closed that restaurant for retraining and apologized.

IHOP and Sunshine did not respond to Atlanta Black Star’s request for comment regarding the latest lawsuit. Bertetchuk no longer works for IHOP.

The case was filed in Broward County Circuit Court on June 29 and transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on August 26. The defendants had not filed a substantive response when the allegations were reported.