A California Waiter Insisted Latina Diners Show ‘Proof Of Residency’ Before Being Served

Another day, another story of racist a**hattery.

A waiter at an upscale Huntington Beach eatery has been fired after demanding Latina diners show “proof of residency” before he would provide them service. *pinches bridge of nose until face collapses in on itself* This development comes after customer Diana Carrillo shared on Facebook her experience at Saint Marc Pub-Cafe where this act of xenophobia occurred.

“A few friends and I went to Saint Marc’s in Huntington Beach today. My sister and my friend were seated first and the waiter asked them for their “proof of residency” when they ordered a drink,” shared Carrillo. “My friend in disbelief repeated what he said and his response was “yeah, I need to make sure you’re from here before I serve you.” Not knowing that this happened to them, my friend and I were then seated and he returned to the table and asked us for our “proof of residency.” After fully digesting what he said, we all got up and left to speak to the manager. For a few seconds I thought maybe he was being a smart ass or joking but the fact that he said “I need to make sure you’re from here before I serve you” was completely unacceptable.”

The waiter’s attitude may be en vogue politically, but anyone with the sense God gave geese knows the “proof of residency” demand is messed up dozens of levels. (Especially if you factor in the demographics of America’s restaurant workforce.) Understandably, the racist approach broke Diana’s mother’s heart when she had the story relayed to her.

“I was angry. I was sad,” Guillermina Carrillo told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s unacceptable. It’s something that shouldn’t have happened, not anywhere, not to nobody.”

The name of the now axed waiter has not been released, but the restaurant insists that the former employee’s actions do not reflect the overall views of Saint Marc. Social media posts providing an apologetic statement were posted and they’ve since been deleted. This scrubbing of the apology was noted on Yelp and a general apology was reiterated.

We are deeply saddened by this guest’s experience and have made the decision to terminate the employee in question. This type of behavior is not representative of the Saint Marc brand and it will not be tolerated. We have established our restaurant in a wonderfully diverse community and intend to uphold our standards of universal acceptance. The views of our former employee are not in line with that of Saint Marc, nor will we allow any current or future employee to treat any guests this way in our establishment. We appreciate you voicing your concern and allowing us to resolve this issue with the help of the community, and we’re deeply apologetic to anyone affected.

Sincerely and apologetically,
The Saint Marc team

The Orange County Register reports that the restaurant contacted Castillo with an offer to be “VIP guests” with 10 percent of their weekend sales going to a charity of their choice. Castillo declined the “VIP guest” offer and has designated Orange County Immigrant Youth United as the charity she’d like supported. Saint Marc are said to be complying with that request.

(Via Los Angeles Times & The Orange County Register)

×