I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

Racism was alive and well and living at my restaurant tonight.

Around 5:15 a 5 top walks in for their 5:30 reservation.  I’d just sat their server, so I’d told them it would be close to 5:30 before I could get them seated. 

They take a seat on the couch.  One of our food runners was at the door, helping me seat people.  She was standing there when an older man says to her, you must not be from Maine.

At this point she has neither spoken nor had any interaction with this group.

I hold my breath. 

He then says, she must be from New York.

The implication is you aren’t white so you can’t be from Maine.

She is polite.  I continue holding my breath wondering if I’m going to have to intervene. 

He drops it when she says she’s from Agentina. 

Whew.

But.

Around 9:00 tonight, I’m chatting with a server who is cashing out and a family enters the lobby.  A man and his two children. 

I ask if he enjoyed his meal. He says that he did. 

I have no memory of what was said next, but the next thing I’m hearing is that he hasn’t seen one negro since he’s been in Maine. 

I’m speechless.  I say nothing.

My server says nothing.

He leaves.

I say to my server, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.  Wait until the door clicks shut.

And then she looks at me and says did he just say negro.  And did he just say it as loud as he did like there was no problem with it? 

I share the story of the older man earlier and comment that casual racism is alive and well and living in Maine. 

We were both speechless.