An Atlanta restaurant is under fire after denying entry to former NBA player Dominique Wilkins, which he says was because of his race. 

“In my many years in the world, I’ve eaten at some of the greatest restaurants in the world, but never have I felt prejudice or been turned away because of the color of my skin, until today in #atlanta In @LeBilboquetAtl #turnedawaybecauseimblack,” Wilkins wrote in a tweet.

In my many years in the world, I’ve eaten at some of the greatest restaurants in the world, but never have I felt prejudice or been turned away because of the color of my skin, until today in #atlanta In @LeBilboquetAtl
#turnedawaybecauseimblack
pic.twitter.com/vh7zuyxH0K

— Dominique Wilkins 🏀 (@DWilkins21) May 22, 2021

The incident occurred on Saturday at Le Bilboquet, an upscale, French restaurant in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta. 

The restaurant said that turning the Hall of Famer away was due to a breach in their business casual dress code, which “includes jeans and sneakers but prohibits baseball caps and athletic clothing including sweat pants and tops.” They argued that their decision had nothing to do with race and that the experience was a misunderstanding. 

“Our dress code policy is not meant to offend anyone but rather provide our guests with an acceptable clothing guide,” Le Bilboquet wrote in a now-deleted tweet, 11Alive reported.

“We apologize for the confusion it may have caused. Our upscale dining experience and our brand’s culture is made up of multiple elements which includes our music, our food and our patrons’ attire. We are very sorry that our attempt to maintain consistency in our dress code policy caused Mr. Wilkins to feel unwanted in our restaurant as that was not our intention and would welcome an open dialogue with him,” the restaurant continued. “We do not, nor have we ever rejected someone based on their skin color. We are proud of our multicultural workforce at patronage.”

In a follow-up statement, the restaurant said that they strive to be “inclusive.” 

“We want to apologize to Mr. Wilkins for his experience at our restaurant and also for any confusion our dress code may have caused,” they wrote on their Instagram. “We in no way intended for him to feel unwanted, and welcome an open dialogue with him. Our upscale dining experience and our brand’s culture is made up of multiple elements, which include our music, our food and our patrons’ attire. We continue to strive to manifest our dining experience in a way that is exciting and most importantly, inclusive.”