Brittany Spencer worked as a waitress at “Fat Joe’s Bar and Grill” for several months. At this point, she was quite experienced as a waitress and she thought she could handle any tricky situation that arose. Until, one day, this happened…
What Kind Of Behavior Was That?
Brittany was enraged to see them behave like that. Most of us had to deal with rude customers but this situation was truly scarring. It’s one thing to act badly and another to try and pull her into their act. The way the story ended was bound to drive her mad…
Fat Joe’s Bar And Grill
The restaurant she was working for was based in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin. As we said before, Brittany had been able to solve any problems that had risen, with her diplomatic skills and politeness. She wasn’t quite prepared for what she’d soon experience though.
A Seemingly Normal Couple
When what seemed to be another normal couple of older individuals entered the restaurant, Brittany didn’t think much about it. She was used to serving older people who were always enthusiastic about her personality. These two though, posed a whole different problem…
The First Worrying Sings
As a professional in the service industry, you learn to notice even the smallest of facial expressions a customer may have and act accordingly. Brittany, being quite sharp, immediately noticed the couple’s demeanor was rather negative. “Negative” isn’t nearly as strong to describe what she lived through…
Unimpressed With The Restaurant?
Almost from the get-go, the couple was looking at the diner with a face of contempt uncalled for: Fat Joe’s was definitely not a high-end, gourmet restaurant but the overall atmosphere was positive with customers enjoying the quality service offered there. What was the problem then?
Not A Problem For An Experienced Worker
Brittany had worked with such customers before and was ready to cheer them up with her joyful attitude and tact. “An honest smile and a warm greeting always do the trick”, she thought to herself. She was in for a surprise though…
Uncalled For
She soon came to realize this wasn’t an ordinary couple. Not only didn’t they greet her back as she handed them the menu’s, but their facial expressions were hostile as well. The man scrunched his nose with a face of utter disgust. That wasn’t going to be easy…
The Situation Escalating
Brittany still took their orders with politeness and a smile, as she always did. But it was then when the couple decided to escalate the situation even further, with a move Brittany just couldn’t tolerate…
Mocking Another Customer
While leaving the table, heading to the kitchen she overheard them mocking someone. Shocked, she turned around to discover that this couple wasn’t only mocking another customer, but also pointing and laughing at her in an indiscreet manner. That was it, it was time to do something…
Why This Woman?
The target of their bullying was a pleasant and regular patron of the establishment who always kept to herself. What could possibly be their problem with her? Brittany just wasn’t prepared for what she was about to find out…
Bringing Others Into It
Unaware that she was listening to them, they continued their vile conversation. But they didn’t stop there: they asked Brittany if she also thought this poor lady was “disgusting” and how could they possibly let “such a person” into their establishment. The waitress was furious and knew she had to take drastic measures…
Standing Up For Her
Brittany immediately rejected their opinion -always in a polite manner- by saying “Sorry, but I refuse to serve you. And I disagree with what you say”, before walking away from them. But she knew she had more to do about this…
Talking To Her Manager
She had to immediately report this to her manager, he had to know. He immediately asked him if there was another worker willing to serve the couple with this inexcusable behavior. However, her manager’s decision left her shocked…
Accept It Or Leave
Much to her surprise, her manager didn’t stand by her: “You can either suck it up or leave” was essentially his response. Brittany was left with her jaw open and faced with a terrible decision. Either she’d serve these customers with their offensive behavior or she’d lose her job…
Standing By Your Morals
Brittany didn’t think twice about it: she immediately grabbed her bag, said goodbye and left the restaurant. Whatever her material needs, she knew she couldn’t stand for such a treatment of an innocent customer. Repercussions would be grave though…
Publishing Her Experience
A few hours later, after speaking with the people closest to her, Brittany decided to share her experience on Facebook. Not only did many support her stance, but also criticized the establishment for it’s manager’s indifference. But the matter was far from over…
Her Employer’s Response
Before sleeping, Brittany felt happy about her choice and everyone seemed to be on her side. However, she woke up to shocking news. Management notified her that she had been fired. Almost immediately she grabbed her phone and shared the developments on Facebook. This story was far from over…
Her Eruption
After writing her side of the story, she ended her explosive announcement with “But I’ll always choose my morals over money. See ya!”. Whatever was going to happen next, she was convinced she was right. But the employer fired back…
A Fierce Exchange
One of the two owners of the establishment explained how Brittany was fired because she didn’t deliver on her duty to serve customers. After all, she had faced many similar cases herself where she served the customer regardless of his opinion, she claimed. This announcement however sparked a huge row…
What Should Have Been Their Response?
Brittany, alongside many supporters of her, considered her employer’s response to be essentially supportive of the hateful customers’ bullying, as they turned a blind eye to it. She still believed in her decision but what did the employer had to say?
People Mobilized Against Them
With Brittany encouraging her followers politely to leave a review on “Fat Joe’s” Facebook page, people bombarded the establishment’s page with negative reviews or even threats, prompting the owners to take the page down, temporarily only…
It Didn’t Stop There
Some, supporting Brittany’s stance, even went as far as to protest in-person against the establishment, forcing the owners to call the police on them. However, one crucial fact was missing from their explanation.
Their Behavior Was Revealing
Despite her disagreement, Brittany didn’t leave her workplace immediately. Instead, acting with professionalism, she requested someone else take the couple’s orders, who were pressing her to take up a stance anyway. Her manager’s answer wasn’t making it easy for the owners to defend themselves either…
Was That Disrespectful?
Answering to her valid reaction with a “suck it up” attitude exposed their lack of actual neutrality on the topic. The owners of Fat Joe’s though fired back at criticism with their own version of the story…
Neutrality Towards The Customers
Whitney, one of the two owners, explained that the management was always willing to respect everyone’s opinions regardless of their personal disagreement and never reject service to any customer. And regarding the dismissal of Brittany, she had a different view…
Fired Because Of Facebook
Whitney claimed that Brittany wasn’t fired because of her stance regarding the customers but instead because of her Facebook post that was leaked by some other employee. The establishment had a certain reputation to uphold and believed that her reaction was unprofessional and harmed the business.
Doubling Down On Their Stance
Whitney repeated how, as an establishment, they’re always willing to serve customers regardless of their opinions and remain neutral on any political or moral conversations they may encounter. The owners felt they were justified in acting the way they did but many disagreed…
Choosing Sides
In this age of fierce political debate and disagreements regarding discrimination, different forms of abuse have been brought to the spotlight with many citizens asking for a more active approach from business owners. “Fat Joe’s” page turned into a forum of political debate and thus it’s owners decided to close it for the time being…
Brittany’s Response
Responding to the owners’ claims, Brittany had this to say: “If they felt they were being harassed, I apologize - that was never my intention. I don’t want anyone to be harassed, but they do need to know that what they did was wrong. Letting people say transphobic things is not remaining neutral”.
Owners Doubling Down
The owners of the establishment vowed to continue with the same policy regarding customers. Brittany, although saddened by this, said she held no grudge against her former employers. She did wish for greater awareness regarding abuse though. What do you think about this debate ?