Amid Controversy, Chicken & Guns Puts Co-Owner Dustin Knox on Leave

Chicken & Guns has put its co-owner Dustin Knox on leave after an incident at the Cartopia food cart pod last week. Knox allegedly asked a black patron, Kevin Raysor, to leave for “loitering.” On Wednesday, Raysor’s friend, Jason Keebler, published a now-removed Facebook post claiming Knox approached Raysor and called him “homeless,” waving over a police officer to escort him off the premises.

Even after the Facebook post was deleted, users have been posting on the Chicken & Guns Facebook page with screenshots of the post and writing negative reviews about the cart and Knox’s behavior. Title Bout, a restaurant consulting firm associated with Chicken & Guns, issued the following statement:

We understand there was a verbal confrontation between Dustin and another individual outside of the food cart. Confrontations are not acceptable, and discrimination in any form is never condoned. It is a challenge in these situations to discern the facts of what happened. No one was arrested or cited at the incident. Dustin has been placed on leave while we conduct an internal investigation of the situation. Our focus is to support the food cart’s ability to serve all customers with great food, and a great experience.

Knox — who was also accused of other incidents of hostile behavior in the comments section of the Facebook post and on the neighborhood-based social media site NextDoor — shared this personal statement as well:

Last week I was involved in a confrontation with another individual at the food cart pod that quickly escalated. I want to apologize to him, to our customers and our employees for this misunderstanding. While my intent was not and has never been to discriminate against anyone, I take full responsibility for my role in the situation. I understand that I have work to do in managing how I respond to conflict. I’m absolutely committed to that work.

Knox also owns the Perierra Creperie cart at Cartopia. This story will be updated as information becomes available.

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