A Black restaurant worker in Ohio said he broke down in tears after a group of White diners in Confederate gear called him “boy” and repeatedly used the N-word as he waited on them.
Per The Daily Beast, a TikTok user who also works at Texas Roadhouse addressed the incident in a viral video she shared on the social media platform on Saturday. “A party full of people wearing Confederate flag gear just tried to f**k**g come eat in our restaurant,” the user, who is Black and goes by the name Nani, said. “One of our Black servers had to take them.”
As Arthur Mandy served the White diners, Nani said none of them talked to the Black waiter or established eye contact with him. “I was getting so mad not only because of the table but the fact I had to watch and hear them treating one of the nicest caring souls I’ve ever met that way and they were still able to stay in the restaurant,” Nani said.
In an interview with the news outlet, Mandy said a small group of the White diners had initially entered the restaurant – though the table had been reserved for 11 guests. He also said a baby among them was covered with a Confederate coat, adding that the Confederate-loving diners ultimately got his attention after others came in to join the group.
“The rest of the party is walking in. The managers come and pull me aside and say, ‘Hey, if you have any issues with this table, let us know,’” Mandy recalled. The Black waiter also said a male adult in the group called him “boy” as he was doing his spiel.
“I’m doing my spiel or whatever, things that we offer, things that we have, what he may like, and he says, ‘Well, I’ll tell you what, boy. Just get me a water with lemon.’”
Mandy said that after he gave the guest the water he had ordered, the diner kept drinking the water hurriedly so as to request another. The Black waiter also said the White man repeatedly called him “boy” and did not look him in the eye. He said the other guests in the group later started imitating the man’s actions.
“They think it’s a game,” he said. “Now, they’re drinking their drinks as fast as they can, and they’re like, ‘Ey, boy, I need another one.’”
The clothes most of the diners in the group were wearing had the Confederate flag, The Daily Beast reported. “This whole Confederate flag situation,” Mandy said, “they don’t want people judging them because of how they dress or what flag they like, and they try to defend their right to have this flag. But that’s how they treat [Black people]: how we’re dressed, how we act, and what we do.”
Mandy said that though the guests’ bill was more than $400, the amount had to be significantly reduced because of their constant complaints. The group also inconvenienced other customers in the restaurant and audibly used the N-word. Mandy said he later went outside to cry because he couldn’t take it anymore.
“They completely dehumanized me in front of the entire restaurant,” he said. “I’m trying to be on my best behavior because I don’t want to get in trouble.”
The Black waiter said the group also took issue after he declined to return to their table. The group is said to have raised issues with the manager about their orders – claiming that Mandy had not gotten them right and they wouldn’t leave until the Black waiter returned to their table, per The Daily Beast.
The group ultimately left, but they stayed around the restaurant’s parking area. Mandy said it was like they were waiting for him, adding that they ultimately left after a manager threatened to contact the police.
Mandy said he intends to file a lawsuit in an effort to prevent other employees from experiencing such encounters. He also accused the restaurant’s White owner of making light of the situation.
“If I could go back and do it over again, I would take that table because I wouldn’t want anybody else to feel what I felt and what I still feel,” Mandy said. “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.”
Responding to the incident in a statement, a spokesperson for Texas Roadhouse told the news outlet that they had launched an investigation into what happened. “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,” the restaurant stated.
The spokesperson also said a manager “immediately took over” after Mandy became uneasy, adding that the Black waiter wasn’t instructed to wait on that table. The spokesperson also said Texas Roadhouse will no longer open its doors to the Confederate-loving group.
