Waiter faked story that customer wrote 'We don't tip terrorist' on receipt, restaurant says

[brooklynite]

Washington Post

The Texas restaurant company that banned a customer after an employee’s story of a receipt scrawled with a racial epithet went viral said Monday that it had parted ways with the employee and learned that the story was spurious.

“After further investigation, we have learned that our employee fabricated the entire story,” Terry Turney, the chief operating officer of Saltgrass steakhouses, said in a statement. “Racism of any form is intolerable, and we will always act swiftly should it occur in any of our establishments. Falsely accusing someone of racism is equaling disturbing.”

...snip...

The customer, whose name had been redacted on the receipt, has not been identified, but the company said that the person has been invited back to the restaurant to dine free.

[Dave Starsky]

1. This has happened before.

A couple of times, as I recall.

Which is why I ALWAYS take these kinds of stories with an enormous dose of sodium chloride.

People will do anything for a few minutes of that sweet, sweet social media fame.

[oberliner]

11. And yet mainstream media sources published this story as fact

And people believed it - and many called for identifying the restaurant patron in order to harass him (or worse).

[Hoyt]

2. I swear, you can't believe anything anymore.

[Hortensis]

5. :) Never been a time when OK to believe because we want to.

Reminds me of a rather adorably elderly couple decades ago who shockingly found a ? something in a product they'd purchased. It became a national story in a string of rodents-in-the-toothpaste-type events being reported. Then the manufacturer brought the press to the plant and demonstrated that it was literally impossible for what the couple claimed to have happened. It turned out this little old couple had become the latest traumatized claimants more than anything else just to get attention.

[ProfessorGAC]

3. Why Would Someone Make That Up?

Really, i don't get what possible benefit one gets from making up a story like that.

It didn't benefit him if it wasn't revealed to have been a lie, and now he's a known liar.

Just stupid, i think.

[JI7]

4. so people send them money at gofundme

[Tipperary]

7. He made money out of it. Wonderful individual.

[Dave Starsky]

9. Wouldn't that be, like, fraud?

I mean, of the go-to-jail variety?

[ProfessorGAC]

13. Was Going To Ask The Same Question

Two replies both said it was for the $, but that seems illegal.

[yardwork]

19. Some people feel compelled to be victims.

It complicated. I think that this individual saw all the recent incidents of racism on social media and he wanted to be included. He wanted to be recognized as a victim.

I don't think that he did this for money. He did it because he had a need.

Maybe the diner really did stiff the waiter out of a tip and the waiter wanted to make a big deal out of it, so he embellished.

[ProfessorGAC]

20. That, I Buy

There is a narcissistic element to making up that story and having it become national news.

[Jake Stern]

6. This is why I don't jump on bandwagons and opposed to doxxing

It was only a matter of time before the alleged "racist" would be outed by keyboard warriors, ruining his life.

[Tipperary]

8. Well, this will be the second thread showing that this asshat made up the story, but the other

op, where the story is reported as fact, still stands unedited. Smh.

[oberliner]

12. It's also still up at The Root - uncorrected

With comments like:

"I know doxxing is frowned upon in some circles, but in this case I’m totally okay with it."

And much worse.

[lame54]

10. Dude, you're not helping

[Tipperary]

14. Not helping what? Pointing out where the truth lies is not helping?

I guess I am confused by your post.

[lame54]

15. Talking about the lying waiter

[Tipperary]

16. Oh, I gotcha. Thanks for explaining. I think I might need a drink lol.

[lame54]

17. ...

[Tipperary]

18. Kicking.

[rgbecker]

21. Begs the question: Did they leave no tip on a $108 bill?

Racism or not...pretty low.