New Delhi:
A waiter at a Mexican restaurant in Ohio, who was subjected to xenophobic abuse by a customer, has received massive support from the community. At the Cazuelas Mexican Restaurant & Cantina in Columbus, the customer, a woman, wrote: “I hope Trump deports you!!!” on the bill’s signature line.
Not just that, Stephanie Lovins, in the tip section, where the customer normally fills out the gratuity, wrote: “Zero. You suck.”
Following the incident, another loyal customer of the restaurant set up a GoFundMe account for Ricardo Nonato — a US citizen working two jobs — to “give him the tip he deserves.”
Fundraiser Anna Overman claimed she organised the GoFundMe on behalf of Ricardo, a “hardworking server” at the Cazuela’s Bar & Grill in Columbus, Ohio.
The GoFundMe, titled “Tip Ricardo: Because Hate Has No Place Here,” had already raised USD 39,210 at the time of writing, surpassing the required goal.
Ms Overman explained that Mr Nonato was “doing his job like any other day, giving great service” on the evening of March 2 when a customer left the obnoxious note for him.
He then received a zero tip and a “hateful, racist” note asking for deportation on the receipt after serving a $87 lunch, Ms Overman added.
She stressed that these customers were dining at a Mexican restaurant.
“They enjoyed the food. They enjoyed the service. And then, instead of tipping, they decided to show their true colours in the most disgusting way possible,” She said.
The goal of this campaign was “lifting up Ricardo” and letting him know that the “community stands with him.” The “people responsible” have already been dealt with by social media.
Ms Overman claimed that Ricardo would receive every dollar raised and that the management would “assist in ensuring that 100% of the funds raised go directly to Ricardo.”
The incident came on the heels of President Donald Trump threatening to carry out “mass deportations” of illegal immigrants.
After a picture of the receipt with the customer’s name was posted on Facebook, it came to light that Lovins was an experienced realtor working with one of the largest real estate firms in the world.
Lovins was eventually fired from her job for leaving the abusive remark on the restaurant bill. A spokesperson for Century 21 said the company was aware of the situation, adding, “Hate has no place within the Century 21 brand, and we are taking this very seriously.”
While the realtor tried to diffuse the situation claiming her card was stolen and used improperly by someone else, the restaurant examined the CCTV footage and confirmed that it was Lovins who left the “racist” note.