Customer leaves racist message to restaurant owner on receipt

The owner of an Italian restaurant in Texas was targeted in a note left on a receipt.

Fernando Franco is the founder and owner of Di Frabo Ristorante Italiano in San Antonio, Texas. Recently he received a receipt with this message: "The food was tasty and the service was attentive. However the owner is Mexican. We will not return. America first."

Credit: KENS

Franco spoke to local news outlet KENS about the incident. He learned about the receipt after a manager brought it to his attention. "They said that nobody asked if I was the owner or where I was from or something," he said. "Nobody knows exactly how they would have come up with this."

He does believe, though, that he may have been speaking Spanish to his employees at the time.

According to News4SanAntonio, Franco has owned restaurants in the area since 2012. He has an E-2 visa, which is an investor visa. Franco was born in Mexico City.

He has to renew the visa every year; he told News4SanAntonio that "we never have had any issue because we have had growth we have more businesses now."

Franco plans on starting the citizenship process soon. "That's what we're doing we're living the dream," he said.

Franco and his restaurant received an outpouring of support after the receipt went public. The restaurant made an announcement on their Facebook page:

It said, "Thank you to everyone who has been showing us so much love and support today."