INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Racist ‘Don’t Tip Black People’ Note Is A Hoax, Lawyer Says

By Robert Jonathan
Published on: 10:30 PST, Mar 11, 2017

A customer who allegedly wrote “don’t tip Black People” on a restaurant bill is fake news, a lawyer who is representing the man who supposedly left the racially charged note says.

In a story that generated national headlines and viral traction on social media in January after the receipt went up on Facebook, a Virginia waitress claimed that the “don’t tip Black people” handwritten message preceded by “great service” appeared on a check for a table she served instead of a tip.

The racist note reportedly was left for waitress Kelly Carter, who works at Anita’s New Mexico Style Cafe, in Ashburn, Virginia, located in suburban Washington, D.C.

Carter said she was shocked when she read what was written on the receipt for $30.52, the Inquisitr previously chronicled.

ABC News Washington, D.C., affiliate, WJLA, reported that Carter described the patrons who left the racially-charged message as a white couple in their 20s who came in for breakfast. At no time did they appear dissatisfied with their meal, she recalled. They did pay the bill itself in full, but left no tip.

The restaurant owner, who expressed outrage over the racist message, described the hardworking waitress as someone beloved by regulars, and that after the incident went public, customers tipped generously and visitors just stopped in to give her cash and support.

The owner also insisted that he had never seen or experienced anything like this during his 42 years of running the family restaurant.

He also contended, per HeatStreet, the incident was, to some degree, “in line with the political landscape.”

Representing one of the customers in question, attorney Daniel Hebda disputes the racism allegation and maintains that the controversy is a hoax, WTOP reported.

“Hebda said that their client actually tipped Carter — a penny — and that the amount had nothing to do with Carter’s race but her service. Hebda says his client claims that Carter’s service was ‘poor,’ and that the note he wrote on the bottom of the bill was ‘terrible service.’ Hebda claims that someone reprinted the receipt, forged his client’s signature and lack of tip, then wrote the racist note on the bottom.”

The lawyer added that his client is harboring no ill feelings toward African-Americans, and that he is calling upon the restaurant, through its attorneys, to set the record straight and determine who is actually responsible for the racist messaging.

“Our client did not write that he received ‘great service’ because he believed he received poor service; his opinion had nothing to do with Ms. Carter’s race,” the lawyer added, Fox5 detailed.

According to the Daily Caller, the receipt in question appears to have questionable validity.

“The receipt she posted online was printed several hours after Anita’s New Mexico Cafe closed. The receipt also bore markings showing that it was a reprint of an original receipt.”

After the original story broke, the waitress received support from the Loudon County, Virginia, NAACP, which expressed zero tolerance for hatred, as well as Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring.

In January, a Virginia man launched an online crowdfounding drive on YouCaring for Kelly Carter, which raised $3,674 in donations from 162 donors before it was closed.

The president of the local NAACP chapter is still backing the waitress, adding that “it’s sad any way it goes.”

The restaurant is said to be looking further into the racist “don’t tip Black people” matter. Watch this space for further updates.

[Featured Image by Gustavo Frazao/Shutterstock]

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