Ric Flair responds, says he tipped $1,000 at Florida restaurant that booted him
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
WWE legend Ric Flair wanted to set the record straight on Tuesday afternoon with an "honest to God story" after a video surfaced earlier in the day on social media of him berating a Gainesville restaurant manager over the weekend.
Flair, 75, and family members were dining at the Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza restaurant at 1250 W. University Ave. following a University of Florida graduation ceremony when the incident took place.
He posted on social media: "I Spent $1500 At Piesano's Stone Fired Pizza To Be Disrespected More Than I Ever Have In My Entire Life. After Taking 20 Pictures With Customers And Staff, I Was Asked To Leave Because Of An Issue I Had With The Kitchen Manager Taking Too Long In The Bathroom. I Would Highly Recommend That Anyone Who Wants To Enjoy A Relaxing Time In Gainesville At A Nice Restaurant To Never Visit This Place! WOOOOO!"
Related coverage: Video shows WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair cussing at Gainesville restaurant manager
Flair told The Sun on Tuesday that he has suffered from a medical condition since his 2017 death scare, and that he went to use the restroom when he was approached by a member of the restaurant's staff.
“I’m like, I don’t shake hands or take photos in bathrooms," he said
Flair said the employee then went into the restroom stall, where a few minutes later he could be seen through the cracks still sitting there and "texting away."
"Any man that goes into a bathroom knows you can see into the stall," Flair said. “I said, 'Get your a-- off there, I need to use the restroom.' "
Flair said when he finally left the restroom "happy as could be," he was approached by a female employee who called him a "peeping tom" and a "creep."
“I’m not going to tolerate that and you wouldn’t either," he said of the employee's comments. "... That’s a pretty offensive remark.”
Flair then spoke with the restaurant's manager in a confrontation captured on video.
"I’ll be quite honest with you, I was pissed because I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s my word against the kitchen employee and it makes no sense," Flair said Tuesday. “I admit to everything I said. I have no problem with it because I was mad.”
In the video, the manager remains calm as Flair begins to call him expletives. When asked what he did wrong, the manager tells Flair he cussed at his kitchen manager.
In the video, Flair tells the manager that he "didn't say one cuss word" to the employee. However, on Tuesday he admitted to doing so.
"It’s a very normal response," he said.
Flair goes on in the video to offer a bartender standing next to the manager a $1,000 tip if she tells the manager to "Kiss my a--."
Despite the bartender saying nothing to the manager, Flair said Tuesday that he did tip $1,000 on about a $200 tab to a pair of bartenders who he said delivered great service.
"(The others were) so rude it was unbelievable," he said.
Piesanos co-owner Jerry Roberts told The Sun on Tuesday that the restaurant rejected the tip on Sunday and paid the employees the money out of the ownership team's pocket.
“It was really a matter of principle on how our team was treated and no matter how much money someone’s willing to spend, if their not going to treat our team with respect, we just felt like that was the right thing to do," Roberts said.
Roberts also said that he wanted to "continue to thank our team for the professionalism and how they handled it."
"The video that has now been leaked by somebody else speaks for itself," he said.
Flair, who said he apologizes if he offended anyone, said he is considering filing a lawsuit.
“I have the money to buy the restaurant," he said. "It’ll be called Ric Flair’s Italian Bistro."
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Ric Flair responds after video from Gainesville Florida restaurant
