Sadie Elledge, an 18-year-old Virginia waitress, found herself on the foul end of vile hate crime when her customers refused to talk to her and wrote a racist note on the line of their check where the tip amount would normally go.
https://www.facebook.com/WHSVisabel/videos/1054755947893385/
Sadie was working the midday shift at Jess’ Lunch in Harrisonburg, VA when she found herself having to serve two gyros, drinks, and a Greek salad to a seemingly disdainful couple . According to an interview with WHSV , Sadie said she tried to be polite, but felt uncomfortable from the start.
“They wouldn’t talk to me. They would just nod their heads,” said Sadie.
After the couple finished their meal and it came time to pay, Sadie left the bill at their table for them to sign. Once they had already left, Sadie was shocked when she went back to pick up the signed check only to find that in place of a tip, they left a xenophobic remark apparently directed at Ms. Elledge that read “We only tip citizens.”
“It shouldn’t even matter, I just feel like it’s rude and disrespectful. I’ve never met, I’ve never done anything to them.”
Sadie is, in fact, a citizen as it would turn out. Though the daughter of Mexican and Honduran parents, Sadie was born and raised in the United States.
It came as something of a surprise to many that such a display of racism would present itself in a restaurant that not only specializes in ethnic cuisine, but is owned and founded by immigrants.
Elledge says she would be willing to turn the other cheek and serve the couple again should they return to Jess’ Lunch, but her boss Angeliki Floros disagrees and has told reporters that the couple will be banned from eating there until Sadie gets an apology.
“Coward is the word to describe what they did,” said Floros. “I have worse words to use, but let’s go with coward.”
According to Floros, video surveillance from the restaurant’s security cameras shows the couple in question in which a blonde woman appears to be signing the check.
According to some sources, the restaurant owners were able to match the name signed on the check and the video footage to the actual person, to whom WHSV attempted to reach on social media for a comment. They claim the alleged perpetrator left no response.
Sadie’s grandfather , John Elledge, who is a Virginia-based attorney, told the Huffington Post that the police also questioned the blonde woman from the video, who denied having written the remark.
“The way I understand it, the woman who signed the receipt is at the restaurant this very second with the police,” said Elledge on Thursday. “Apparently, she just signed the receipt. She didn’t write anything.”
Sadie’s grandfather took a picture of the receipt and posted it on social media. The image has since gone viral.
Regardless of who may have written the comment, it was clearly meant as a racist swipe at Ms. Elledge.
Sadie’s boss and grandfather have both reported that the young waitress has taken a much more stoic approach to the situation than either of them have.
Sadie, during a Facebook Live interview, said she was used to that kind of treatment from her school days, thus was not so put off by it.
“I’ve had people make comments like ‘ Go make me a burrito, ‘ but that’s at school and I don’t pay attention,” said Sadie.
After news of Sadie Elledge went viral, some locals showed their support by writing a heartfelt letter to the waitress and enclosing a real tip.
[Photo via iStock]