Mel’s Diner Issues Statement in Response to Employee Facing Backlash for Alleged Remarks on Social Media

Mel's Diner is speaking out on Facebook after alleged comments from one of their employees went viral, sparking backlash on social media.

The official Facebook page for the Lafayette location of Mel's Diner posted a statement on Saturday morning (Nov 5.) that welcomed "all to dine" and condemned "any degradation of all challenged individuals."

While Mel's Diner didn't specifically say what its message pertained to, many assumed it was a response to a viral post in which one of their reported employees' Facebook accounts made degrading remarks about the child of another Facebook user.

Emily Munsen is employed by Mel's Diner according to a Facebook account bearing her name—and when the disparaging comments were made from the page, the screengrabs began to circulate quickly on social media, sparking outrage from many who couldn't believe someone would say such things about a child, let alone any children with challenges or disabilities.

https://www.facebook.com/shaymatney/posts/pfbid0BMvE8Fp1XskqePSXr93w63CeU7S4WZcjvsB9f4yyVyZSM9PgLkuF38cbiryy25TDl?__cft__[0]=AZX9j5ti2TS-CiTUSGzxxJhV_2ACjZE-WffBSXYhShKSl8T9vmoIixosNDu9jViO6pC0vcRJwE2PvZI6V-LbkmRisH8xm4tHXhcq4phYZaUe-OHd-NiaPeCsNiPIqnCSeU3Pt8Jcp4jopEzsw3mD9BfBpAHYqTP39YT5on6iSo4kuw&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

Cheyanne Morgan is the mother of the disabled child at the center of those viral screengrabs, and when I spoke to her about the situation, she admitted to involving herself in "unnecessary drama" with Munsen, but said that the attack on her child was "disgusting."

There was a disagreement on Facebook and Emily felt the need to attack a child. MY CHILD. My thought is, how can the world be so disgusting? Maybe I wasn’t being a perfect human bc I involved myself in unnecessary drama but to bring a CHILD into it?? That’s wrong.

Facebook arguments happen every day, and while many comments are made in the heat of the moment, several people took issue with Munsen's words due to the fact that she worked with the general public on a daily basis as an employee of Mel's Diner.

Morgan said regardless of her daughter's challenges as a disabled child, she fears that Munsen would just as easily mistreat another individual with challenges.

You act in a certain manner when you deal with public on a day to day basis. She felt the need to attack an INNOCENT child PUBLICLY on social media. What would stop her from getting mad at a customer with an autistic child whose throwing a fit and lose her cool at work and talk about that child to their face?

While Mel's Diner didn't address the post from Munsen's page or Morgan directly, they did edit their original post to omit their previous acknowledgment of "accusations on social media" that "are rampant and unprovable."

In a separate Facebook comment from Munsen's account, she revealed that she was also disabled, suffering from PTSD that was allegedly caused by her child's father. She also admitted to being unaware that Morgan's daughter was disabled and admitted she was wrong.

Morgan says that she hopes that Munsen looks into getting help and says that bullying is nothing new for her daughter, Serenity, who will continue to feel loved despite what "a few ignorant individuals" may say about her appearance or her disabilities.

my baby has some form of bullying EVERY SINGLE DAY and she STILL comes home smiling and wakes up every morning ready to conquer the world. Serenity has an army behind her she’ll never feel neglected or unloved because a few ignorant individuals in this world don’t understand different.

As far as Mel's Diner's involvement, Morgan says she can't control who they hire, but the idea that they would ever defend an employee for this type of behavior is "appalling" to her and speaks volumes about their establishment. Reactions continue to pour in on the restaurant's status update, calling for action from the Lafayette staple.

As of Saturday afternoon, it appears that the Lafayette location of Mel's Diner has deleted its Facebook page. We've reached out to Munsen for comment and will update this story when and if more information becomes available.