A Black influencer was invited to an event in Boston, Massachusetts, where she allegedly experienced racial discrimination on behalf of a snack food truck. According to her, she and an Asian influencer were charged for a hot chocolate that other White influencers were given for free.
The incident, according to TikTok user ieatyallfollow (Chayna), occurred at the SoWa Winter Festival in Boston, Massachusetts. She had been invited to a “VIP Influencer Night,” alongside other content creators. Chayna explained that they were told they were getting everything for free, including parking, admission to the venue, and food.
While the influencer did receive free stuff at the event, everything changed once she got to a specific vendor. Chayna detailed that she wanted a hot chocolate from Snacks Box Boston before leaving the event, so she got in line. Things turned weird almost immediately.
Chayna stated that both she and an Asian content creator were given a 50 percent discount thanks to the wristbands they were wearing. Red flags waved as the promise of free items was going out the window by this vendor in particular.
While in line, Chayna overheard other influencers, who were White, interacting with the vendor’s cashier. Allegedly, contrary to her and the Asian content creator, these influencers were given their food for free, no questions asked.
Believing the free food was due to the influencers filming the items, Chayna decided to stay and observe. Other White influencers came, according to her, and with them not recording at all, they still were not charged.
Chayna eventually decided to confront the vendor and asked why they charged them and not the other influencers. “He literally, I kid you not, just stared at us like a deer in headlights, and then just walked away and kept taking orders,” Chayna said.
Reactions, Apology
Many users reacted to Chayna’s video by bashing the Massachusetts food truck. One user commented, “I’m so sorry that happened, the microaggression is infuriating.” Another one said, “That’s so messed up. I’m so sorry. Looks like I won’t be posting their hot chocolate.” A third one added, “Boston will never beat the stereotypes when stuff like this still happens.”
Chayna then responded to a comment by Snacks Box Boston. They stated her claim was completely false, saying that they are a “100% minority-owned business.” Also, they clarified that they gave a “complementary hot chocolate” to people with whom they had worked before. Chayna claimed, however, that the cashier never asked for the influencers’ handle.
Snacks Box Boston then issued an apology, clarifying that the free items were limited to the first 50 influencers they took orders from. They explained, however, that they began selecting influencers they had previously collaborated with via face recognition, all of whom were also given free food. The others, including Chayna, were given a 50 percent discount.
Chayna, who initially denounced discrimination and racism, then said that she didn’t believe the establishment’s owner was racist. However, she did say that she believed the facial recognition was flawed and led to a negative experience. This is fueled by the fact that no social media handles were requested at the time, according to her.
