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amira donahue
On March 1 when the customer appeared at the Olive Garden location in Evansville, the visit started off on a sour note when they were blocking the busy entrance.
The restaurant host, Amira Donahue, recounted:
"That lady said awful things about me, [like] 'is she even from here? Is she like Jamaican or something' (like I don't speak English) [and] 'if she doesn't wanna be family friendly she should work at a strip club'."
"All I said to this woman was 'sorry I don't know', 'have a nice day' and 'excuse me' when she was standing in the way of a extremely busy restaurant... She then proceeded to scream at me in the middle in the lobby."
And the woman's antics didn't stop there.
When she was seated at her table, she also demanded to be served by a "White server." A customer at the restaurant that night, Maxwell Robbins, witnessed the full exchange.
Robbins later wrote in a Facebook post:
"I'm never going back to the Olive Garden in Evansville. A few White people come in and say that they refuse service from a 'colored' server and asks to speak with the manager. The manager without hesitation ensures that they will not receive service from a person of color."
Robbins and Donahue were in agreement, regarding where the manager's priorities should have been in the situation.
Robbins said:
"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."
Donahue agreed in her own post, confiding:
"She should've been kicked out ASAP. But I guess the racist customer is more valuable than your Black employees that were left in tears."
You can read Robbins' full post here:
The restaurant chain later shared an update on the situation and confided the former manager's behavior was not in-line with their mission.
The chain wrote:
"[We have] "zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind, and the manager involved no longer works for our company."
Robbins updated his Facebook post, happy to report the manager's updated non-status at Olive Garden.
Donahue unfortunately did not share further comment and previously said the server she had been working with that night was not emotionally ready to comment on the ordeal.
Many commented their concern and support for the employees affected by the racist display described in Robbins' Facebook post.
Maxwell Robbins / Facebook
Maxwell Robbins / Facebook
Maxwell Robbins / Facebook
Maxwell Robbins / Facebook
Maxwell Robbins / Facebook
Maxwell Robbins / Facebook
Maxwell Robbins / Facebook
It's good to see that Olive Garden was quick to correct the situation and clarify their support for employee diversity in their restaurant.
Even if it means the customer isn't always right.