'BLACK PPL' printed on IHOP receipt offends Texas customers

[Miles Archer]

http://local12.com/news/nation-world/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:

This was poor judgment by a team member in a single location and is contrary to our and the franchise owner's values. The guests were offended and we are sorry for that. Everyone should feel welcome at our restaurants; the owner of this location has taken corrective action with the team member involved and re-trained the staff to prevent this from happening again.

[virtualobserver]

1. I don't quite understand the detail of this article

Why would a waiter raise questions about a tip before the food was served?

[Travis_0004]

2. There is a sterotype that black people are poor tippers.

[virtualobserver]

3. sure.....but what kind of waiter raises the issue of tipping before the food is served....or at all?

[JHB]

5. A bad and bigoted one.

[virtualobserver]

6. that is a signal to walk out of the restaurant

[IEH]

54. No indication the waiter was bigoted or worried about his tip.

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]

35. It's BS, basically, because the waiter was black.

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]

4. So when did restaurants start

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]

9. I was a bartender for years in college

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]

10. I've never noticed any description on my receipts

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]

27. I'm at a restaurant now

That's how my receipt is labeled. TBL 71 Dining Room.

[monicaangela]

39. That sounds like a better idea!

I generally don't read the fine print on receipts, next time I am in a restaurant I will be sure to notice.

[whistler162]

43. I interpret that to be Totally Bald Leftist who is 71

[IEH]

53. Table number is NOT related to this situation. The customers were NOT sitting at a table.

[monicaangela]

55. Yes

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]

32. Some places do that. Table No. At bars/restaurants a group descriptor is often used.

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]

38. I'm unfamiliar with bars

I have never been in one.

[Yo_Mama]

40. A lot of restaurants have a bar also.

Not an issue at an IHOP - this was poor training.

[monicaangela]

42. I know and I tend not to frequent

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.

[monicaangela]

56. Yes

I have noticed recently this does happen. I just never noticed before.

[Reter]

45. I had the ability to label my tables whatever I could print when I worked at one place

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]

52. Not sure how "this case" even was offensive.

There is nothing wrong with being black.

[monicaangela]

57. I have had

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]

49. Restaurants do label tables

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]

58. Point taken

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]

11. At a bar it makes sense

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]

12. Let's see what would happen if "White guy" was printed on a receipt. nt

[Lizzie Poppet]

41. I'll have to look next time I dine out.

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]

50. Nothing would happen.

In this case you would not here a single complaint.

[Captain Stern]

7. Not a very thorough article. The waiter was also black.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/austin-couple-furious-ihop-receipt-black-ppl-article-1.2550233

The guy messed up, but it doesn't sound like it was racial discrimination.

[WillowTree]

17. Now you're spoiling their fun.

[Reter]

46. I worked in a restaurant that was 90% black (staff and customers)

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]

8. It actually stands for the Blackberry Pancake Platter

Jesus, calm down, people.

[Warren DeMontague]

13. Fucking for real?

Holy shit thats funny.

[herding cats]

15. No, not for real.

They or someone else made that shit up.

You gotta love the shit people come up with on the internet.

[Warren DeMontague]

16. You gotta admit, it makes a strange amount of sense.

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. Oh, I see how someone came up with it.

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]

20. There has been an uptick in these sorts of obnoxious or racist comments on rest. Rcts of late

So i wouldnt have any trouble believing it to be true, myself.

[herding cats]

14. Actually, that's not true.

On his Facebook page, the waiter, Dwayne Williams apologized and says it was a slip up to get orders out. He is sorry if he offended anyone. He reached out to Fox 7 after the story aired and said it was a very busy morning for him when the incident happened.
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]

21. Of course, it's not true. I made it up.

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]

18. A black waiter using "black people" to identify folks who placed a take-out order

is clearly not racist. Unless you think "black people" is some kind of slur, which it is not.

[philosslayer]

22. What if it was a white waiter?

[B2G]

23. He wasn't though. nt

[philosslayer]

24. What if he were ?

Would it make what happened even worse?

[Throd]

28. Gee, what if he also wrote "KKK Forever" while we're at it?

As long as we are making up worse scenarios that never happened...

[philosslayer]

33. So you think...

That writing "KKK forever" equates to writing "Black PPL"?

[IEH]

51. Obviously no connection here.

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]

25. Yeah or at least not fire the kid

he was using it only as a descriptor then most likely.

[Nye Bevan]

26. Yep. Firing a black guy for referring to black people as "black people"

might not quite be the very best approach to fighting racism.

[Yo_Mama]

34. It seems mean. Okay, complain to mgmt. But the lady even said

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]

29. LOL

This whole fucking thread..

Too good.

[metroins]

30. Hmm

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]

31. I think this was a group descriptor, often used in some restaurants to ID service groups.

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]

36. Ageed.

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]

37. Well the waiter said he was rushed and didn't get the name.

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]

44. I wonder if the black waiter had put "PPL OF CLR" instead of "BLACK PPL",

whether he would still have been fired? Political correctness can be weird.

[Angel Martin]

47. maybe they should go back

to the old days when they referred to them as "Canadians".

[Orrex]

48. The first time I heard that code word, I was flabbergasted

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.