Kentucky

‘We don’t tip black people.’ Instead of tip, Kentucky waitress receives racist note.

A waitress for Applebee’s in Radcliff received this note instead of a tip last month.
A waitress for Applebee’s in Radcliff received this note instead of a tip last month. Regine Boone

A racist note left by a group of customers instead of a tip was offensive, hurtful and embarrassing, a waitress for an Applebee’s in Radcliff said, according to media reports.

“We don’t tip black people,” read the note written to Jasmine Brewer on a napkin, she said. The waitress told WDRB the group of four barely said anything to her, including food and drink orders, but she remained professional and brought the food out in a timely manner.

Brewer, who has worked at Applebee’s since July, according to The News-Enterprise, said it’s the second time she has received a racist note and no tip.

“If they needed something, I got it,” she said. “...I didn’t realize I was the problem the whole time.”

After receiving the note, Brewer sent a picture of it to her mother, Regina Boone, WDRB reported. Boone’s posted the picture on Facebook, which has since been shared more than 900 times with more than 650 comments.

“THIS IS WHY THEY KNEEL!” the Facebook post from Boone began. “I’m very local and always will be. You think racism does not exist, IT DOES! This was left for MY BABY tonight at Applebee’s in Radcliff.”

Boone’s remark alluded to NFL players who have knelt for during the playing of “The Star Spangled Banner” as a protest against racism in the U.S.

Boone went on to say she was furious and urged people to stand against racism.

Commenters on her mom’s Facebook post have called the note disgusting and terrible, and others said the person who wrote it is gutless.

Though she did not ask for money, Boone said supporters have given her $175 to give to her daughter, according to WAVE 3.

“What it says is there’s good in this world,” Boone told WAVE 3. “Not everyone believes there’s racism. Not everyone sees color as the first thing they see when they meet someone.”

Brewer told The News-Enterprise she has become more anxious about approaching tables and more conscious of her skin color after receiving the note. The mom of three said she hopes racism is gone by the time her kids are older.

“You don’t know what people are dealing with, you just don’t know,” she told The News-Enterprise. “All you can do is be positive.”

If the customers who left the note return, management will kick them out, WDRB reported.

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