Dawn Montgomery, an African American lady from Laurel, Mississippi, claims that a restaurant manager questioned her about a $150 tip she left for a waiter at a nearby Applebee’s restaurant. The event prompted a social media frenzy regarding racial unfairness in tipping standards.
Montgomery published her experience on social media, describing a supper with 13 pals. Their server, Melissa, was new and hesitant about dealing with huge groups, but she did a wonderful job. Montgomery left a $150 gratuity in appreciation, according to Atlanta Black Star.
However, the evening took a turn when the restaurant’s manager approached Montgomery and stated that they wanted to contact corporate about the unusually large tip. Montgomery was uneasy as the manager created a scene and said the tip might not go through.
Montgomery had to present the manager with more signatures and contact information before departing. However, she discovered from other employees that the management should have checked the tip discreetly and without creating a scene.
Montgomery noted that she was not accusing anyone of racism, but she did see potential racial bias.
“I am not saying that this was a racist experience BUT I do know that the reason why Melissa had to wait on us was because NO ONE ELSE in the restaurant wanted to wait on a party of 10-14 Black people. We heard the comments and still stayed to support Melissa,” Montgomery said via a social media post on X.
Montgomery’s social media post went viral, with millions of views. Many people perceived this as a preconception that Black customers do not tip well, however some former restaurant employees indicated that high card tips are often verified to prevent fraud.
The manager eventually called Montgomery to apologize, stating that he knew they were high school classmates.
Furthermore, Applebee’s apologized to Montgomery and promised additional training for its supervisors to prevent future incidences.