Olive Garden manager fired for complying with ‘disgusting’ customer demand: ‘Should've been refused’
A manager at an Olive Garden was fired after agreeing to a “disgusting” request by a group of customers.
The incident, which occurred at one of the chain’s locations in Evansville, Ind., stemmed from a party that allegedly said they would not accept service from a “colored server,” according to Today.
Maxwell Robbins, who was eating at the restaurant at the time and claimed to witness the incident, described what he saw in a Facebook post that has since been shared more than 2,500 times.
“A few white people come in [and] says that they refuse service from a ‘colored’ server and asks to speak with the manager,” Robbins wrote. “The manager without hesitation ensures that they will not receive service from a person of color. That couple should’ve been refused service for even asking something like that!! It’s disgusting that olive gardens manager would allow that especially with a very diverse staff.”
Amira Donahue, a hostess at the restaurant who is Black, told NBC News that some of the party’s comments were directed at her. The 16-year-old said the family had been seated with a Black server when one guest, a white woman, began complaining about the server, Donahue and another hostess.
“She made comments about me to my co-workers concerning my race and saying that I should work at a strip club instead,” Donahue told NBC News. “She asked if I’m even Black and if I am from here.”
Eventually, the manager responded to the customer’s complaints and moved their party to a table with a new server. The exchange left Donahue in tears, which Robbins said motivated him to share the story on Facebook.
“The young lady was in tears and had no one to support her,” Robbins told NBC News. “So I felt if I didn’t write this post, nothing would have happened and she would continue to go to work for a place that she feels uncomfortable at and unwanted at.”
The manager who conceded to the request was fired within two days, after Olive Garden led an investigation into the matter, a spokesperson confirmed to NBC News.
“As a result of our investigation, we made the decision to separate with the manager involved,” the spokesperson said.
The post Olive Garden manager fired for complying with racially charged request appeared first on In The Know.
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