Long Island Bar Turns Away Man For Wearing Turban

A 23-year-old Stony Brook graduate said he was turned away from a Port Jefferson bar Sunday because he was wearing a turban.

Gurvinder Grewal said he was meeting friends at Harbor Grill in Port Jefferson when staff didn't let him in because the bar's dress code prohibits hats.

Harbor Grill on Facebook said Grewal was not wearing a "traditional" turban but "what would be more widely perceived as the slang term 'dew rag' or a 'stocking cap.'"

"Please know that our weekend dress code policy is in place for the safety of all of our patrons. Anyone wearing any type of hat is welcome during normal restaurant hours; however, on Friday and Saturday nights after 10:00PM (after the kitchen is closed and there is a DJ and dancing), we do not allow hats or headwear in order to more capably identify people inside the establishment," Harbor Grill said.

Grewal, who works at City MD and volunteers as an EMT at Stony Brook, told the NY Post he felt "shocked."

“I never encountered a situation where I was refused a service or entry into an establishment for wearing a turban," he said.

Harbor Grill's weekend dress code goes into effect after 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

"Harbor Grill embraces people of all races and religions, and we do not discriminate against anyone for their creed or color,"the bar said. We sincerely apologize for any distress that this incident may have caused"