IHOP Apologizes Server Tells Black Teens to Pay Upfront

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

It looks IHOP is trying to make amends for their past behavior toward Black patrons, but is it a little too late for redemption?

According to ABC News, the location in Auburn, Maine, will close down on Thursday (March 15)  for a day of staff retraining after a waitress there asked a group of black teenagers to pay for their meals upfront.

In a statement, company president Darren Rebelez said that they do not tolerate any type of discrimination.

“IHOP and our franchisees have zero tolerance for actions that are or allude to discrimination of any type. The franchisee of this location is working to contact the affected guests directly to apologize for this incident and are taking appropriate disciplinary actions in line with their HR policies.”

While the manager of that particular location claims that in the past they have dealt with teens who eat and run out without paying, Melvin Escobar stressed that making someone pay before eating isn’t acceptable.

He told the Associated Press, “this is the first time it happened, and that will be the last time.”

This isn’t the first time that IHOP has been under fire for alleged racism.

Back in 2016, we reported that a Texas couple complained that a white waiter wrote “Black people” on their receipt in order to keep up with his tables. That waiter was fired for making a “racist, poor choice.”

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