A black couple in Indianapolis, Indiana, visited a Thai restaurant for a meal, only to be told they could not order unless they agreed to tip. The unfortunate incident took place in a restaurant called Thaitanium Restaurant and Bar. In a video that was posted online, the accused waitress appeared to have just told the couple about the alleged tipping policy and was walking away from them.
The couple then called out to the group of people sitting next to them, who happened to be white, asking them if the waitress had given them the same treatment. The Caucasian couple responded that the waitress had not informed them of any tipping policy.
The victimized couple posted the incident on social media, and several users responded, pointing out the underlying tones of entitlement and racism in the waitress’s actions. “Just abolish tipping,” one user commented. “It’s crazy to see so much entitlement around tipping,” another remarked.
“Is it legal to force tipping?” this user wondered. Another user commented, “Outright racism is back in force thanks to our new administration. We will be seeing a lot more of it. Restaurants can not afford to be losing customers left and right in this economy. Maybe the waitress can find a nice Aryan cafe to work at in the future. If such a thing exists.”
On the other hand, others supported the waitress’s actions. They used the argument that the encounter was not racist because Black people are famous for not tipping.
One user commented, “You’ve either worked in the service industry and know it’s a fact black people tend not to tip. Or you’ve never worked in the service industry, and you assume racism.”
Another user remarked, “Black people tip less generally. A well-known fact. Is acknowledging that racist?”
A couple of hours after the video circulated, the poster took it down and shared another update. “I have spoken with the owner of THAITANIUM- Indianapolis, IN. I will be meeting with her tomorrow. The server was not a manager and HAS BEEN FIRED,” it read.
In a subsequent video, the victim sat down with the owner of the restaurant, Kanyala, and the two spoke about the incident. Kanyala explained that the waitress was fired because “that is not the way we treat people. We treat people equally.” She also reiterated that everyone is welcome to the restaurant, regardless of race.
In this case, the situation was sorted, and both parties were able to reach an agreement. However, that isn’t often the case, especially with sensitive matters like tipping and racism.
