A mother and daughter in California are facing backlash online after a restaurant exposed them for dining and dashing.
The restaurant, The Mad Claw, a Cajun seafood spot in California, shared a video on Instagram showing camera footage of the mother and daughter. According to the restaurant, they came in, requested a table for two, and ordered a Cajun shrimp boil.
The video showed the two women eating and even asking for to-go bags. When the bill arrived, they tried to leave without paying. The daughter checked the back door, but it was blocked, so the mother decided they would walk out the front. At the end of the video, the restaurant addressed them, saying, “If you see this, come back and take care of the bill. No need to make this bigger than it is.”
The video on the restaurant’s Instagram page was viewed by over 10 million people. Since the mother and daughter are Black, the restaurant clarified that they do not condone racism and emphasized that the two did not pay their bill. “We do not tolerate racism or harassment. Comments will be turned off. These individuals returned after the video went viral but did not address the unpaid bill. Instead, they became disruptive toward staff and guests and made false claims about our business. Appropriate action has been taken, including a ban,” the restaurant wrote in the post’s caption.
The video sparked a broader conversation about people who dine and dash without considering that they may be recorded. The restaurant’s decision to expose the incident led many to argue that more businesses should take similar action. However, much of the reaction to the video took a negative turn, with many comments becoming racist. Instead of focusing solely on the behavior shown, some users directed offensive remarks at the mother and daughter because of their race.
Internet Users Reacting to the Mom and Daughter Leaving the California Restaurant
The video sparked reactions online. Many of the reactions turned openly racist because the mother and daughter are Black. One person wrote, “To fix this, do the opposite of Jim Crow: have Blacks Only restaurants. Everyone else will know not to go there, because payment is required at time of order plus a service fee. Play rap music at ear splitting volumes, pipe in the smell of weed, have twerking waitresses, and have ample open space for random violence.” Another commenter added, “Start making black people prepay for this [expletive].”
More people continued to leave racist comments. One person wrote, “These restaurants are being forced to demand a credit card before they serve. I find it difficult to understand a culture based on ignorance, dishonesty and violence.” Others pushed back against that kind of generalization. One commenter said, “You can’t blame the entire race on what a few ignorant people are doing on social media. I’m sure there are other races doing it too. It’s sad but if restaurants are worried require everyone to give up 1 credit card in advance. Put kiosks at the tables and you put the card in to begin if needed.”
What the mother and daughter did was widely seen as wrong. However, their actions do not justify people responding with racism toward them.
