A Black waitress was stiffed at an Applebee’s in Radcliff, Kentucky, in mid-September by four white customers who left her a racist message instead.
Jasmine Brewer told HuffPost she’d waited on a party of four consisting of two well-dressed couples. She said the customers appeared to be “having a rough day, like they had just been to a funeral.”
However, Brewer soon learned the people were upset because they had a Black waitress.
(photo credit: Regina Boone’s Facebook)
The diners left the 26-year-old a handwritten note on a back of a napkin with the words, “We don’t tip Black people” and snubbed her of a tip on a $50 order.
Brewer said she did everything she could to provide the guests with a pleasant experience and even recalled them telling them to “have a nice day.”
“I did everything I could to make it good, and in the end I was the problem,” the waitress expressed.
Brewer’s mother Regina E. Boone was outraged by the racist incident her daughter endured and shared a photo of the hateful words on Facebook.
“THIS IS WHY THEY KNEEL! I’m very vocal and always will be,” Boone wrote in her social media post. “You think racism does not exist, IT DOES! I don’t accept or tolerate disrespect! I’m furious.”
Brewer’s mother is a teacher and president of of the Hardin County Education Association. She told TV station Wave 3, “You [the diners] took the time to write a note, ‘We don’t tip Black people’ — but you couldn’t take a second to say hello or thank you?”
Boone’s post was shared over 1,000 times, and so far her daughter has received $175 from supporters to compensate for the tip she never received from the racists.
“There’s good in this world,” said Brewer’s mother. “Not everyone sees color as the first thing they see when they meet someone.”
An Applebee’s spokesman released the following statement on Monday:
“All restaurant team members deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. The remarks directed at one of our franchisee’s employees are unacceptable and inconsistent with Applebee’s values as a brand.”
The company also noted, “The franchisee is continuing to work with the restaurant team to keep the lines of communication open.”
Brewer said she has received backlash from online trolls who accused her of faking the napkin note.
“I almost wish my mom had never posted that photo,” she said. “Why would we go out of our way to post fake news?” she told HuffPost.
Nevertheless, Brewer said she hopes that “people learn to love people for who they are and stop being cruel.”
