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A viral video shows a Black waiter at a restaurant in Ohio being forced to serve a party of Confederate-flag-wearing patrons freely spewing the N-word.
A video uploaded to TikTok this past Saturday (April 29) by a woman named Nani set the scene at a Cincinnati-area Texas Roadhouse restaurant. “A party full of people wearing Confederate flag gear just tried to fucking come eat in our restaurant,” she said. “One of our Black servers had to take them.” She goes on to describe the cruel treatment he received: “They’re N-word this, N-word that, while he’s there at the table,” she said. “They’re not even trying to be quiet. They’re not even trying to stop.”
The server, Thomas Mandy, would later recount his experience when contacted by reporters. “They completely dehumanized me,” he said. Mandy confirmed that Nani is his co-worker, and said the party in question was his last table for the night and that it was supposed to be a group of eleven people.
He said he didn’t notice the attire of the customers until they filed in, with one woman “covered head to toe” in the Confederate flag and even an infant wearing a onesie in those colors.
The 41-year-old father of four continued to describe his mistreatment by the table, which included one of the party admonishing a 5-year-old in the group who had been engaging with him. “I’m trying to be on my best behavior because I don’t want to get in trouble,” he said. It got so bad that he had to go outside and cry. He refused to go back to serve the table which upset the obnoxious guests, who refused to leave unless he came back. Managers warned other Black staff members to stay away from the group, and they loitered in the lot, presumably for Mandy, until another manager threatened to call the police.
Mandy blames the restaurant’s owner for the situation escalating as it did and is planning to file a lawsuit so other service workers won’t have to endure what he went through. “Business should not come first; money shouldn’t come first. And that’s the perception that I have…of my boss. It was really hard for me to even think about going back to work because it’s like knowing he doesn’t care about me,” he said. Another TikTok by his co-worker Nani the following day included his information for anyone who wanted to donate – so far, $1,000 has reportedly been donated.
UPDATE: A spokesperson from Texas Roadhouse issued a statement on Tuesday afternoon denying Mandy’s account. “We never made a server wait on any tables,” it began. “Initially, the server told management he was comfortable with these guests in his section and that he would not let them bother him. Once the server voiced he no longer wanted to wait on the table, a Manager immediately took over and we ultimately stopped service.”
The statement continued, “Texas Roadhouse does not condone any form of harassment or discrimination by guests towards employees. We also strive to maintain a work environment of mutual respect for our employees and guests.”
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No Sir, Not Me: Black Waiter Forced To Serve Confederate Flag-Wearing Diners was originally published on hiphopwired.com
