Black Texas Woman Accuses Mercado’s Restaurant of Discrimination After Being Asked to Wait While White Customers Were Seated Immediately: ‘You May Have Cost Somebody Their Job’

A woman in Tyler, Texas, has accused a local restaurant, Mercado’s, of discrimination after she said she was asked to wait for a table while another customer who arrived moments later was seated right away. The content creator believes she was singled out because of her race.

Here’s What Happened

According to the Black woman’s explanation on TikTok, she and her cousin had walked into the restaurant to grab lunch. The host asked whether they wanted a booth or a table, and they requested to be seated at a booth for two. However, even though the restaurant was not busy at the time and several tables appeared available, they were told to wait while one was being cleaned.

About two minutes later, a white woman and her child walked in and requested a booth for two. Instantly, they were ushered to a table. The Black customer said she asked the host and manager for an explanation, but neither, she claimed, could provide one. “I also asked was it because of the color of my skin and they instantly got quiet,” she wrote in her caption. “No apologies or nothing. I have never in my 45 years been treated so distastefully.” The woman ended up making the video above in which she blasted the restaurant online and vowed never to return.

Netizens React to the Texas Restaurant Incident

In the comments, some TikTok users supported her decision to call out the restaurant. “That’s straight discrimination 💯💯,” one viewer wrote. Another advised, “Do not eat there! You never know what they are putting in your food! I cook at home now, especially in the times we are in!!!” A third person said, “Shut them down, don’t spend your money there,” while a fourth added, “That not right what they did you. You are soooooo right.”

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However, some people felt the restaurant’s actions weren’t discriminatory and suggested there might have been another explanation. “That can happen if someone makes reservations which I have been doing for years,” one comment pointed out. Someone else remarked, “Maybe it was being cleaned at the same time.” Another commented, “Did you talk to the manager about it first? It could have been an honest mistake. You may have cost somebody their job.”