Saloon settlement

After a contentious back-and-forth and opinions flying in from all around the city, McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon and a bartender who claimed that the bar discriminated against certain patrons have reached a settlement.

As The Inquirer‘s Robert Moran reports, McFadden’s has agreed to take steps to prevent discrimination, and the bartender, Michael Bolden, will not receive any financial compensation. Bolden had alleged that the bar discriminated, in part, against nonwhite customers. A much-publicized part of the suit included a text exchange allegedly between two managers, with one declaring: “We don’t want black people we are a white bar!”

According to the Inquirer report, John L. Sullivan, the majority shareholder of the Northern Liberties watering hole, said in a statement: “We would like to thank [Bolden] for bringing the discrimination he experienced and witnessed to our attention. Race discrimination at McFadden’s 3rd Street is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.”