‘Don’t Tip Immigrants!!!’: Middle aged couple leaves NJ waitress Lorena Bossi racist message instead of tip at ‘Under the Moon Cafe’ in Bordentown.
Disconcert has come to the fore after reports of a New Jersey couple leaving declining to tip a server after hearing her speak Spanish- instead electing to leave a racist note saying, ‘Don’t tip immigrants!’
American born server, Lorena Bossi in a Facebook post said the couple had been ‘so friendly and kind’ as she served their table at Under the Moon Cafe in Bordentown on Thursday night.
‘You could tell they loved the experience, the man even called me “sweet” and said “my suggestion was great,”‘ the waitress posted.
What would have in most cases led to goodwill on all sides and presumably a healthy tip turned to shock when Bossi at the end of the night, instead discovered no tip along with the couple leaving a note on the back of her receipt, with the words, ‘DON’T TIP IMMIGRANTS!!!’
Explained Bossi in her Facebook post, ‘I spoke to a coworker in Spanish at one point and the end result is me getting to read the back of the receipt,’
‘I could’t help but be sad, especially because this is my line of work and I rely on tips.’
‘I’m sure they will be back and I will be just as kind to them as I was tonight because I don’t have hate in my heart,’ she added. ‘Spread love people! And don’t be ignorant.’
Bossi signed the Facebook post with ‘Sincerely, a proud Latina American.’
Under the Moon owner responds: ‘Your server, who helped create an excellent experience for you, who you discriminated against with written ignorance and no tip, is not an immigrant.’
Santiago Orosco, the owner of the restaurant, also wrote about the incident on Facebook and said the couple were in their ‘mid-to-late forties’, shared a slice of cake, and had ‘raved about the food, the decor, and the service’.
‘Upon arrival, they seemed very excited about dining at Under the Moon, complimenting the ambiance, as well as all the recommendations that our server had made,’ he wrote.
‘At the end of service, our server grabbed the check from the table, told the customers good night, and thanked them as they were leaving.’
It was only when Bossi was closing out for the evening and going through the sales receipts that she realized the customers had left a note on the back of their bill.
Orosco said he cannot find the couple because they paid in cash, which he called a ‘cowardly move’.
‘I can only assume that they heard our American multilingual server speak Spanish to another employee,’ Orosco wrote.
‘Your server, who helped create an excellent experience for you, who you discriminated against with written ignorance and no tip, is not an immigrant.’
‘She is of Spanish descent, born in America, and is multilingual. I am utterly shocked at this blatant ignorance.’
Orosco said Bossi’s family had emigrated to the US from Uruguay more than three decades ago.
‘There’s no home in my restaurant for hatred, bigotry, racism, homophobia, discrimination,’ he told NJ.com.
‘It’s ignorance, plain and simple. And a sense of entitlement too. If anyone feels the same way, don’t come back.’
‘Don’t Tip Immigrants!!!’: Middle Aged Couple Leaves Waitress Lorena Bossi Bigoted Message Instead of Tip https://t.co/LXumxFnhp3 pic.twitter.com/hsgLoh2gPv
— Law & Crime (@lawcrimenews) January 28, 2019
Has the perception of immigrants regressed in recent times?
Orosco, who believes racism has gotten worse for Latinos recently, questioned if the couple would have left a similar note at a different restaurant.
‘My thing is, if she went to a Chinese restaurant and people were speaking Chinese, would she have reacted the same way? If people were speaking French or German, would she have left the note?’ he asked.
‘My place is supposed to be a loving, cozy restaurant, and my family and I worked our a***s off to get what we have today. We don’t need that hatred here.’
Orosco, who came to the US from Argentina and worked his way up from a dishwashing position, describes himself as a ‘very proud immigrant’.
He has owned Under the Moon Cafe for the last 13 years and recently opened a second location.
‘We are extremely proud to be part of the community. I came to this wonderful country for a better future, which, with a lot of sacrifice, heartache, pain, and sweat, I have accomplished,’ he wrote in the Facebook post.
‘My family has tirelessly worked to create a great life and I owe it to this country and all its opportunity (America has always been great!!!).’
‘Immigration and cultural blending are what created this special country. I truly believe that immigrants are key contributors to our society. Also, I am gay, at Under the Moon we accept all people but not ignorance and discrimination.’
Orosco said that since posting about the incident, he has received an outpouring of support from the local community.
‘It’s to the point of tears to see such a support for me, my family, and the restaurant,’ he said.
‘It’s overwhelming but reassuring that there’s these people out there. There’s much nicer people.’
Patrons have also since chipped in and given Bossi a tip she would have otherwise earned.
