A Chipotle manager fired over viral video of her employees refusing service to a group of Black men could get her job back after newly discovered Twitter posts suggest there’s more to the story than originally thought.
“Our actions were based on the facts known to us immediately following the incident,” the Mexican-themed restaurant chain said in a statement Sunday. “We now have additional information which needs to be investigated further. We want to do the right thing. So after further investigation, we’ll re-train and re-hire if the facts warrant it.”
Chipotle employees reportedly mistook the Black men for customers who were unable to pay for their food earlier in the week. (Twitter video screenshot / @MasudAliii)
Last week, customer Masud Ali posted videos of him and his friends being denied service at a Chipotle in St. Paul, Minnesota, unless they agreed to pay in advance. The videos, which have received over 5 million views as of Sunday evening, shows an employee laughing and telling the young men they have to pay upfront “because you never have money when you come in here.”
Ali, 21, called the incident a clear case of racial profiling.
“It sounded really racist — the way she said it was racist,” Masud Ali told the Minnesota StarTribune on Friday. “She asked for proof of income as if I’m getting a loan.”
In a statement, Chipotle apologized and explained that the group had been mistaken for a gaggle of customers from a previous night who were unable to pay for their meal.
“Note how this employee said ‘we’ve seen you guys come in twice,’ then later say he never saw us in his entire life,” Ali wrote on Twitter. “Calling the police on loyal customers is super disrespectful and uncalled for. This unacceptable and I do not appreciate these employees making false accusations.”
However, social media sleuths managed to unearth several old tweets from Ali reportedly bragging about “dining n’ dashing,” suggesting he has a history of leaving without paying. Now, loyal Chipotle customers are calling on the restaurant to reverse its decision.
Masud Ali Facebook.
Masud Ali Twitter
“I hope she is rehired,” one woman tweeted. “Shame on customers for pretending they were victims of racism!”
One man even threatened to boycott Chipotle for “firing HARD WORKING decent manager for being brave enough to stand up top a thief. [I’ll] Never eat there again and I hope she sues your as off.”
“Y’all, check the tweet feed on Twitter … dining and dashing is thing young man’s hobby,” another critic wrote. “Pretty jacked up getting everyone revved up in support when the manager was actually right. Looks crappy for all POC.”
Still, there were those who jumped to Ali’s defense, arguing that it was impossible to dine n’ dash at Chipotle because of the way the restaurant is set up. Critics argued that either way, the manager and employees were guilty of racial profiling.
“Uh…how exactly does one dine and dash at Chipotle?” one Facebook user commented. “You order the food, bit by bit, walk down the line. Someone assembles, you get to the cashier (and the FOOD IS STILL BEHIND THE COUNTER), you pay and get your food.”
“Outside of the obvious Bs, what bothers me most if the you aren’t given your food until you pay,” another man argued. “The people preparing could’ve kept the bags out of arms reach of the guys if they thought they were a snatch a grab.”
