Black woman says a Georgia Waffle House waitress greeted later arrivals while her table got nothing: ‘I really feel like this is racism in its finest’
She says she and her husband waited about five minutes while later customers were served, then left without ordering.
A Black woman says nobody came to her booth for about five minutes at a Waffle House in Georgia, even as later arrivals were taken care of. According to OK Magazine, she posted a TikTok video of the visit with the caption “I just wanted a waffle.” The restaurant is in Locust Grove on Bill Gardner Parkway, she states.
She and her husband came in ahead of another guest and took a booth, she explains, and a waitress in a black uniform had seen them walk in. Inside, she noticed that just one other patron looked like them, which she says hurt her feelings a little, and the couple considered leaving. They stayed because they like the food.
By her account, the young woman seated behind her husband had come in after them and got attention first. That is when she started filming. Another couple walked in, and she says she kept the camera on to find out whether the staff was only swamped. She claims the waitress went to the other customers a third time and still skipped her table.
The greeting at the other tables
The woman imitates how the waitress spoke to the newcomers, “Good morning, what would you guys get to get? Breakfast?” Nothing like that came to her table, she adds, even though they had arrived first. The difference left her doubting what was going on, and she says, “I really feel like this is racism in its finest.”
They did not have silverware at their table either, she points out. As more late arrivals were taken care of, she suggested to her husband that they go. The clip ends with her walking out and filming the outside of the building. Her account in the TikTok video could not be verified independently.
Waffle House’s website lists two restaurants in Locust Grove, Georgia, and both are on Bill Gardner. Her caption tags the chain. The report does not state whether Waffle House or anyone at the restaurant has responded to her video, and it does not name the waitress or any other staff member.
The U.S. Department of Justice runs an online civil rights reporting form at civilrights.justice.gov that people can use to start a report. The page does not name restaurants specifically. One category in its list is “Discriminated against in a commercial location or public place.” The example given under it reads, “Denied service or entry because of a perceived personal characteristic like race, sex, or religion.”
Complaints about uneven treatment at restaurants have surfaced before. A couple ignored at a rooftop bar in El Paso raised one, and an Izzy’s Steakhouse server complaint in San Francisco raised another. Izzy’s states that it is reviewing the incident.
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