WATCH | US restaurant owner lashes out at women for twerking on his furniture

A video of a restaurant owner in the US reprimanding a woman for twerking on top of a chair has gone viral and drawn mixed reactions.

In the video shared by Twitter user @DJGreenVillain, Kevin Kelley, the owner of True Kitchen and Kocktails, can be seen reprimanding customers after a woman was seen standing on the furniture twerking.  

Kelley told customers that twerking in his restaurant was not allowed.

“I invested a lot of money into buying this building, into developing this concept, so that black people can have somewhere nice to go to, OK?” he said.

“Somewhere where our people can feel good about themselves as a culture. Real talk. And so all this twerking and sh**, take it to Prime, take it to Pink. Don’t bring it here because we’re a restaurant.”

Kelley said the majority of his customers are ladies and that they should conduct themselves in a manner that is respectful.

“If you guys wanna do it, get the f*** out my restaurant because I did it for our people and I did it for our culture. So don’t do it again. I don’t want to hear it again. If you don’t like it, get out because I don’t need your money. I need to provide something for my people.”

Watch the full video below (WARNING: Video contains strong language):

In a statement issued by the restaurant after the video went viral, Kelley said he went on his rant because of a woman who was dancing up against the restaurant’s glass window.

“A customer stood on her seat, placed her hands against the glass windows and began to twerk,” said Kelley.

“My immediate reaction was this woman could fall through this window and we could be the target of a lawsuit if she is injured.

“My second reaction was enough is enough. After already addressing this behaviour twice, these customers no longer deserved the courtesy of kindness I expressed in the earlier encounters, as it was met with disrespect and intentionally ignored. This is why they were told to leave.”

On Twitter, many said Kelley was right for addressing the matter and calling out the woman, while others criticised his approach. Some poked fun at the situation, which was labelled "TwerkGate".

Here is a snapshot of some of the reactions: