Waitress Suspended With Pay For Posting Racist Receipt on Facebook

Mediaite ^ | 9/12/2013

[markomalley]

Over the weekend, 19 year-old Nashville Red Lobster waitress Toni Jenkins got an unwelcome tip from a couple of customers: the tip line on their $44.53 check was generously scrawled “none,” and below it, as an added bonus, the n-word. An outraged Jenkins showed the receipt to her manager, and later posted it on her Facebook page (she has since taken it down), for which she was suspended with pay. The man who left the nonexistent tip admits to stiffing Jenkins, but denies scribbling the n-word on the receipt.

Jenkins related the incident to the UK Mail:

‘They were extremely rude, but I introduced myself to them and they didn’t respond. When I came to take their orderm they simply told me they wanted their food and to put everything in a to-go box. I offered them dessert but they told me abruptly that they just wanted the check.’

‘When I went back to the table they had gone and left the receipt and had written the comments.’

The couple were said to be a man and woman in their 20s.

Miss Jenkins said after picking up the receipt, she showed it to her manager who reassured her that she had done nothing wrong and that she did not deserve such abuse.

Speaking of her decision to post the receipt online, Miss Jenkins said she had been surprised by the reaction.

‘It’s all very surprising to me. When I posted it I thought it might get a few ‘likes’ from friends and family. People praying for me, that kind of thing. I didn’t think it would escalate this quickly. I am just a 19-year-old nursing student.’
The branch of Red Lobster in Franklin where Miss Jenkins works has now suspended the teenager on full pay until they decide what to do next.

Jenkins told The New York Daily News that her intent was not to retaliate against that specific customer, whose name, it turns out, is Devin Barnes:

“It wasn’t to get back at the gentleman,” Jenkins said. “I knew his signature was there, but I didn’t know his actual name was printed on the receipt. My intention wasn’t to attack the guy.”

In a written apology, that guy, Devin Barnes, admitted to signing “none” in the tip line when he ate at the restaurant with his wife but denied writing the racial epithet.

“I do not approve of the use of that type of talk, not now or ever!!!” Barnes wrote.

Barnes’ attorney, Richard Dugger, told NBC News that the young man is innocent and someone else is to blame for the disturbing language.

Jenkins also told The Daily News that she’s not angry at Barnes, and would even give him a hug if she could.

Stiffing a waitress on a $45 check or a suspension with pay might not sound all that serious, but Tennessee, like most states, has a $2.13 minimum wage for tipped employees, while a waitress like Toni has to pay taxes based on sales, and typically pays a portion of sales to other restaurant staffers like bartenders and buspersons. For that $45 meal, Toni was paid $2.13 an hour, but had to pay taxes on that check, and likely had to share up to 30% of the nonexistent tip with other restaurant staff. On that meal, the tipshare alone would have been $1.35, which means that unless it took her half an hour to box up that meal, Toni actually paid to serve those customers. Raist or not, stiffing your server is not okay.

[Irenic]

I lean towards that not being his writing but I'm not certain. Shouldn't he have a copy of his receipt?

[Sybeck1]

I don’t tip at Mcdonalds or at Starbucks. Sit down meal you might get 20% if you are good, nothing maybe if you don’t keep the ice tea coming. I always tip the pizza guy good because I was one of them.

[Irenic]

I’m flip-flopping now. I wondered why the N was capitalized on the receipt and in his letter he used a capital “N”. Bah, I don’t know.

[Venturer]

Well at least using a Capitol letter for the word N****r shows respect.

[al baby]

so the n word even looked lazily written

[pgkdan]

This story is bull. Its a hoax.

[A Cyrenian]

Why is it allowed for some people to say nigger? And European descendants are not allowed?

The saying "n-word" seems juvenile.

[Gettin Betta]

“Toni was paid $2.13 an hour, but had to pay taxes on that check, and likely had to share up to 30% of the nonexistent tip with other restaurant staff”

Not true. Although yes, she has to pay tax on her total sales(usually 8%)You “tip out” to the bus boy, bartender etc on what you earn in tips, not on the percentage of sales.

[Have Ruck - Will Travel]

The letter “g” on the receipt and on the note do not seem to be the same. Also, look at the last word of the note, “ever”. The ending “er” is not the same as on the receipt either.

I am not a handwriting analyst, nor do I play one on TV, but these don’t seem to be written by the same person.

[Two Kids' Dad]

Two questions:

Was this originally ordered as “to go” or did they get seated at a table and - for whatever reason - change their minds and decide to take the food to go?

Could there have been a 3rd party that wrote the offensive word on the receipt after the patrons had left and before the waitress picked up the receipt?

[VRWC For Truth]

It’s a hoax. She got ticked that she got stiffed and had a co-worker write it.

[Abby4116]

And at Red Lobster, Olive Garden or any of the other “chain” restaurants, is is common to be seated at a table to order “to-go”? It sounds like they were out for a meal and either the waitress was extremely slow in taking their order or the kitchen held up the order.

[Rodney Dangerfield]

The Handwriting sample appears to match the word “None” but not the word below it.

Let’s take a look at the job app she filled out for a sample of her handwriting.

It looks like both parties were in the wrong.

The Service Industry is terrible work and stiffing someone, even on a take-out order isn’t right.

Not to mention, the next time you might get an unexpected “surprise” in your meal. One that you are unaware of.

My first job was in the Restaurant industry and I saw what happened to people’s food that were problematic/cheap.

[headsonpikes]

Good point! lol

[Lancey Howard]

The one thing that bothers me most about the “N” word on the receipt is the angle at which it is written.
It sails up at an angle. Why wouldn’t it be straight across?

[Hoodat]

The saying "n-word" seems juvenile.

I cringe every time I hear the term "n-word". I once heard someone (maybe Larry Fishburne) say, "When you say 'N-word', you may not have said the actual word, but you made me think of it." These are my sentiments exactly. Just say "epithet" and leave it at that. It really doesn't matter which one.

[Mr. K]

wow- you think so? I think the G’s are the biggest giveaway that it is a fake- they do not compare to his g’s at all

All his e’s lean forward - the fake one is backwards

The N is two strokes, one line and one ‘U’ motion to complete the N- his is 3 distinct lines.

I stand by my bet - any takers?

[Mr. K]

it even looks like a slightly lighter color ink!

[9YearLurker]

If it were regular takeout, I don’t think any tip would be called for. If they sat at a table and then decided to take it out, then IMO it would be.

These sort of things are usually trumped up, but I’m not certain the writing isn’t his in this case.