Dallas Restaurant Owner Explains Why He Scolded Black Women for Twerking

A Black restaurant owner went off on a section of mostly Black women after one of them got up at their booth and twerked ... and now he's getting dragged AND applauded, while also defending his actions.

The incident went down at a joint called TRUE Kitchen + Kocktails -- it opened just 5 months ago -- when the owner, Kevin Kelley, says multiple women got up and danced on their chairs up against a glass wall.

Kevin just wasn't having it and decided to loudly let everyone in the restaurant know about his ground rules, which several people recorded. You see him walk over to one of the twerkers and shut her down.

Another video shows him lecturing women in that section of the restaurant ... which many did not dig. He said he doesn't wanna see that type of behavior in his establishment, and that if they don't like it ... get out.

Now, we talked to Kevin on "TMZ Live" Monday, and pressed him on what exactly he had a problem with -- twerking, in general ... or the fact that it was happening in his building? He insisted it was the latter, noting there was a time and place for that type of dancing.

However, watch what he says about "classy and nice Black women" at his restaurant because it's at the heart of the backlash -- the insinuation being twerking doesn't fit that description ... for him.

You can watch and judge for yourself, but long story short -- his tone didn't sit right with a lot of people who feel TRUE bumping music, serving booze and promoting itself like clubs do make it ripe for dancing.