Restaurant owner Mike Jennings has gone out of his way to be inclusive at his restaurant, but some patrons’ recent interactions with one of his waiters left him so furious that it prompted him to speak out against the customers and tell others to stay away if they are going to disrespect his staff.
Mike runs the Grenache Restaurant in Walkden in the UK. He recently hired Andy Forster, who happens to be autistic, to be a waiter. One night, Andy was having a tough time with some of his customers. They told Mike they did not want to be served by Andy, even after he explained Andy’s disability. They even had the nerve to ask Mike why he would hire someone like Andy. This prompted Mike to take to Facebook and record a video message to the public-at-large.
Mike wrote on Facebook:
“Today was spent rebuilding the confidence of one of our team, after being disrespected and socially discriminated by a table dining with us last night.”
“‘What is wrong with him?’ and ‘Why would you give him a job?’ they asked…”
“Here at Grenache, we employ staff based on experience, knowledge and passion for the job… NOT the colour of their skin, or the way they look, how many tattoos they have, their dress size, religious beliefs or illness. We do not discriminate!”
“If you DO…Then please do not book a table at Grenache. You do not deserve our time, effort or RESPECT!”
Mike admits it’s strongly worded, “but we need to get our point across”.
What do you think of Mike’s message? I think it shows a great deal of compassion for him to defend Andy as he did. Share this story if you agree!
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