COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The public is rallying behind a central Ohio Mexican restaurant after a customer allegedly left a hateful message instead of a tip.
The message, as seen in a photo shared on social media, appeared to refer to rising tensions surrounding immigration. In less than 24 hours, the post went viral.
Some employees at Cazuelas Mexican Cantina said the incident caught them by surprise and made them emotional.
“This is a place for love and, you know, just being relaxed and having a good time,” said Fabio Oribo, the head of marketing at Cazuelas.
Servers at Cazuelas said they love their job and they love serving people, which is what they were doing on Sunday afternoon.
“Apparently this lady came in and Ricardo, who is a great person, was taking care of her,” Oribo said. “He only works one day a week, which is Sunday. He has two jobs. From what I hear … she wasn’t happy about a coupon or something like that.”
Employees said that after the woman and her family left, they found the receipt on the table. Instead of a tip, they say the receipt said, “Zero. You suck,” and written on the signature line was, “I hope Trump deports you!!!”
“It’s just not right, just not right,” Oribo said. “He’s a really good person, and like I said, we all … come here every day to do our job, which is to serve people and have a good time.”
Another employee took a picture of the receipt and posted it on social media later that day. It received over 8,000 reactions in less than 24 hours.
“We never expected to go that viral or have that reaction. Thankfully all the community has been really supportive,” Oribo said.
The employees said a group of customers is already planning to come in next Sunday when Ricardo works and make the day special for him.
“This is just a space for being inclusive, and there’s no space for hate inside Cazuelas,” Oribo said.
The employees hope some good will come out of sharing this story.
“Just be happy or try to be happy, and if you’re not … don’t try to mess with other people’s life or to be hateful. It’s just not right,” Oribo said.
The woman accused of leaving the hateful message has allegedly been identified online. Nexstar’s WCMH learned that this woman was a real estate agent in Columbus. A spokesperson for Century 21 has since issued a statement on the incident.
“We are aware of the situation with the agent in question. Hate has no place within the CENTURY 21 brand, and we are taking this very seriously,” the statement reads. “After investigating the situation and connecting with the respective broker, as all companies affiliated with the CENTURY 21 brand are independently owned and operated, we can confirm that this agent is no longer affiliated with the brand.”
The woman’s social media has also since been deleted.
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