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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums'BLACK PPL' printed on IHOP receipt offends Texas customers
AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE) - A couple is upset after reading the fine print on their receipt from an IHOP restaurant in downtown Austin.
According to Rolman Sparkman, at the top of the receipt he and his girlfriend received were the words "BLACK PPL," which they interpreted as "black people." Sparkman believes it was a code to have their food spit on after their waiter raised questions about his tip.
KEYE reached out to IHOP and received the following statement:
virtualobserver
(8,760 posts)Why would a waiter raise questions about a tip before the food was served?
Travis_0004
(5,417 posts)virtualobserver
(8,760 posts)JHB
(37,158 posts)virtualobserver
(8,760 posts)IEH
(6 posts)First of all the waiter was black.
Secondly, describing the people at the door for the "Go" order would only be bigoted if there was anything wrong with being black.
Since there is nothing wrong with being black, no insult was given.
Thirdly, the waiter gave no indication that he was worried about his tip.
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)I will believe in a lot of things, but not that black waiters are in a some grand conspiracy to have black people's food spit on.
It sounds like there was some sort of dissension, and this couple is just taking it out on the kid.
Sorry, mistreating waitstaff is shitty behavior regardless of your race. I don't believe that either of the upset customers really thought this was a racial incident. Maybe the waiter wasn't a good waiter.
Maybe they knew each other and there is some bad history. But a racial incident this is not.
monicaangela
(1,508 posts)printing race on the receipt? I've never seen that on any receipt when I have eaten out. What is this world coming to?
ShrimpPoboy
(301 posts)And we often labeled tickets in the computer by a description of the guests (hat guys, glasses girl, etc.) This could have been something like that.
monicaangela
(1,508 posts)but believe in the future I will definitely be paying closer attention. If I ever see anything like this, even glasses girl or hat guy, or whatever I will have questions. If those that are serving guest need instruction as to where food or drink should go, maybe the restaurant should number the tables or something. Then you would see something like guy table 8, girl table 9 etc. If I find anything like what I saw on the receipt in this article, I will personally boycott that restaurant after writing an opinion editorial for the local paper.
Bradical79
(4,490 posts)That's how my receipt is labeled. TBL 71 Dining Room.
monicaangela
(1,508 posts)I generally don't read the fine print on receipts, next time I am in a restaurant I will be sure to notice.
whistler162
(11,155 posts)IEH
(6 posts)monicaangela
(1,508 posts)recently I have started to notice this is done. I had never noticed before, I don't often pick up the tab when I am out with my significant other. It is very seldom I do restaurants alone. I did recently, and yes I did notice that labeling. I tell you, the things you learn on DU.
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)So if you go in and hang out at the bar while waiting for your table, one tab is set up and follows you.
monicaangela
(1,508 posts)I have never been in one.
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)Not an issue at an IHOP - this was poor training.
monicaangela
(1,508 posts)restaurants with bars. I have been in restaurants with bars, but usually it has been a larger restaurant like the Bohemian House in Chicago, or restaurants in hotels etc. I have been in an IHOP restaurant, and as you say, I've never seen a bar in one of those. When I said I had never been in a bar, I meant a bar, a place where you go for drinks, nothing else.
I have noticed recently this does happen. I just never noticed before.
Reter
(2,188 posts)I chose table numbers, but it's a bit different at the bar. Customers there leave to smoke, then come back and sit in a different spot. So table numbers can get confusing. The bartenders would always label them like "political people", "biker", "Ronnie", "Baseball team", etc. Nothing offensive like in this case. Don't boycott unless it's necessary.
IEH
(6 posts)There is nothing wrong with being black.
monicaangela
(1,508 posts)several comments that have told me about the occurrence of this labeling. I didn't mean it doesn't happen, I just meant I had never noticed. If I ever go to a restaurant and notice someone has labeled me, my table, or my guest as black people I will boycott that restaurant.
IEH
(6 posts)The problem is that the customers in this case were not sitting at a table, so table numbers are not relevant to this issue. This was a to go order and the waiter simply described the customers so that the someone pulling the order would know who to give the food to. So, for instance, "girl table 9" would not make sense if the person at the door was not sitting at a table. Also the person at the door could "choose" to be offended because she was called a "girl" and accuse the restaurant of gender bias. Since the waiter was black, obviously he did not intend any racism in this case. Since there is nothing wrong with being black, there was no insult.
monicaangela
(1,508 posts)Just feel there could have been a better way of labeling. And, yes you are correct there is nothing wrong with being black. She must have been the only black person. Do you think he labels his receipts white ppl when someone not at the bar orders?
Travis_0004
(5,417 posts)People walk up, order a drink, then go off sonewhere.
In this case, they got the order to go. It was likely used as a description so they knew who to give the food to if several people were waiting.
The correct procedure would be to ask for their name and put Rolman on the receipt. When the food is ready, you can call out 'rollman' and he gets his food.
They probably thought putting black people was easier, and they would still know who to give the food too. Its not the right way to do it, but probably thought to be easier
MrScorpio
(73,630 posts)Lizzie Poppet
(10,164 posts)If I see "shrimpy white woman, a bit goth-looking" on the receipt I'll know!
As for the incident in question, if "black ppl" was enough to identify them out of all the customers, I'm thinking blacks don't feel real welcome in that restaurant. Easy to see why...
IEH
(6 posts)In this case you would not here a single complaint.
Captain Stern
(2,201 posts)The guy messed up, but it doesn't sound like it was racial discrimination.
WillowTree
(5,325 posts)Reter
(2,188 posts)I was only one of two white servers there. Once a table of four white people came in, and they sat in this one girl's section. She said to me "Good, I got the white people." I asked her why she was so happy and she said "whites tip better." I asked a few others there what they thought (all of whom were black), and they agreed with her.
Frank Cannon
(7,570 posts)Jesus, calm down, people.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)Holy shit thats funny.
herding cats
(19,564 posts)They or someone else made that shit up.
You gotta love the shit people come up with on the internet.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)Im trying to think of an analogous story... You know, like how people were always thinking that cabbage patch dolls were saying "worship satan", etc.
herding cats
(19,564 posts)I also understand how the someone who said it originally was obviously looking for a way to pretend this wasn't true before they knew any actual the facts of the matter. Facts which end up being not really bad at all if they'd just waited for them. Well, unless you're the guy who lost his job. I'm sure he thinks it's all dreadfully terrible.
Seriously, they used to say that about Cabbage Patch Kids? I've got nothing on why they thought that. Sometimes things are just too weird for me to even begin to connect the dots.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)So i wouldnt have any trouble believing it to be true, myself.
herding cats
(19,564 posts)http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/99068143-story
If you go here you can see an image of what was in the order.
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/texas/article/IHOP-server-writes-black-ppl-on-couple-s-6867840.php#photo-9491934
1-Splashberry $2.79
1-Sierra Mist $$2.39
1-Big Steak $9.99
1-Colorado $9.79
Frank Cannon
(7,570 posts)But IHOP really does have a Blackberry Peach Cobbler Pancake that they offer at certain times during the year. It would be very easy for something like that to get completely blown out of proportion.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)is clearly not racist. Unless you think "black people" is some kind of slur, which it is not.
philosslayer
(3,076 posts)B2G
(9,766 posts)philosslayer
(3,076 posts)Would it make what happened even worse?
Throd
(7,208 posts)As long as we are making up worse scenarios that never happened...
philosslayer
(3,076 posts)That writing "KKK forever" equates to writing "Black PPL"?
IEH
(6 posts)I believe that the black server who put black ppl only meant it as a description. KKK forever would obviously really be racist. The two can't logically be compared. If the waiter had been white, it still probably would have still been meant simply as a description, but a white server would hopefully not put it that way simply because it is not a good idea to take chances on how people are going to react in this day and age. Hopefully society will someday reach the point where people will stop worrying so much about things like this.
treestar
(82,383 posts)he was using it only as a descriptor then most likely.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)might not quite be the very best approach to fighting racism.
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)that when she was waiting she used to use clothes colors when she got in that situation, so I doubt she believes it had any racial intent behind it at all.
So now this poor kid, who was running his ass off, is out of a job. I'm not feeling the glorious righteousness.
He shouldn't have done it. She shouldn't have got him fired.
linuxman
(2,337 posts)This whole fucking thread..
Too good.
metroins
(2,550 posts)That's the downtown drunk ihop. I highly doubt it was meant to have their food spit in.
Austin has something like 1.5% black population. It was used to describe them. I usually get "tall guy"
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)They pick whatever stands out (laughing girls, etc). But they should delete before the receipt, and they should be careful what they list. "Loud drunks" lets everyone know, but you don't want them to see it.
Travis_0004
(5,417 posts)The order was to go, I would assume policy is to put their name, so when the food is ready for pick up, you can call out a name and give it to the correct person.
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)Which certainly does happen.
I don't know. I would hope I would have the decency not to make such a ruckus if something like that happened to me. Talk to management - it is an issue that has to be corrected. But taking someone's job for this when it is not racial is not right, IMO.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)whether he would still have been fired? Political correctness can be weird.
Angel Martin
(942 posts)to the old days when they referred to them as "Canadians".
Orrex
(63,203 posts)A coworker told me that she and her husband used the term "Canadians" when discussing black people in front of their young daughter. I thought she was kidding. How often does the issue arise in mundane conversation, and what the hell are they discussing that requires code words?
If you're going to be racist, at least have the integrity to be honest about it.