Texas Roadhouse Server Speaks Out After Co-Worker’s TikTok About Him Allegedly Being Harassed By Neo-Confederate Patrons Goes Viral

UPDATE: A Texas Roadhouse spokesperson provided the following comment to Blavity:

“We never made a server wait on any tables. Initially, the server told Management he was comfortable with these guests in his section and that he would not let them bother him. Once the server voiced he no longer wanted to wait on the table, a Manager immediately took over and we ultimately stopped service. We had three Managers at the restaurant at close and the Managing Partner called the Server to check in on him.

Texas Roadhouse does not condone any form of harassment or discrimination by guests towards employees. We also strive to maintain a work environment of mutual respect for our employees and guests.”

Previously reported:

An alleged incident involving a Black server and a group of white Neo-Confederates at a Texas Roadhouse went viral on TikTok this past weekend.

On Saturday, TikToker Nani (@love. Iona) described how the Black server was allegedly treated by patrons who traveled from Kentucky and dined at the Cincinnati location. She said Arthur Mandy, 41, waited on the table initially reserved for a party of 11, but only a small group showed up at the restaurant.

In the nearly three-minute clip, Nani said the customers arrived at the eatery decked in Confederate gear from head to toe, with Mandy as their server for the evening.

“A party full of people wearing Confederate flag gear just tried to f**king come eat in our restaurant,” Nani said. “One of our Black servers had to take them.”

She then explained how the guests at the table never spoke to Mandy or made eye contact with him. Alternatively, they created a hostile environment for the 41-year-old, the workers and other customers dining in the restaurant.

“They’re N-word this, N-word that, while he’s there at the table,” Nani recounted. “They’re not even trying to be quiet. They’re not even trying to stop.”

Nani described Mandy as one of the “nicest, caring souls” who didn’t deserve to be treated less than others because of his skin color.

“I was getting so mad not only because of the table but the fact i had to watch and hear them treating one of the nicest caring souls I’ve ever met,” Nani wrote of Mandy in the video caption.

She continued, “How dare you take it as far as telling your kid to shutup and not talk to your own server because he is black. The minute they started dropping the N word while the server was present at the table is the minute they shouldve been kicked out.”

On Monday, Mandy shared his story in an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast. He recalled not paying attention to the guests’ attire but remembered a toddler wearing a Confederate coat with a matching onesie underneath.

“The rest of the party is walking in. The managers come and pull me aside and say, ‘Hey, if you have any issues with this table, let us know,'” Mandy said.

Mandy said he was focused on doing his job when an older man sat down at the table and purposely gave him a hard time.

“I’m doing my spiel or whatever, things that we offer, things that we have, what he may like, and he says, ‘Well, I’ll tell you what, boy. Just get me a water with lemon,” he told the outlet.

The guests tested Mandy to see how fast he could complete their requested tasks. Then, as they continued their demands, the 41-year-old shared his opinion on the Confederate group’s choice to wear clothing tied to their beliefs but then judge Black people when they do the same.

“This whole Confederate flag situation,” Mandy told The Daily Beast. “They don’t want people judging them because of how they dress or what flag they like, and they try to defend their right to have this flag. But that’s how they treat [Black people]: how we’re dressed, how we act, and what we do.”

Mandy recalled a 5-year-old boy who tried communicating with him until his mother scolded him. The father of four continued serving the group until the older man said something that troubled him.

“They can only concentrate on one thing at a time,” he said of Mandy, insinuating Black people weren’t smart enough to multitask.

“For me, that was it,” Mandy told The Daily Beast. “That was it for me … emotionally.”

The party then complained about their food and how Mandy allegedly messed up their orders. Finally, they made such a scene that managers were forced to reduce the total bill to accommodate them.

Mandy said he was overwhelmed after the guests hurled racial slurs at him that he stepped outside to cry. “They completely dehumanized me in front of the entire restaurant,” he said.

He said he removed himself from the table after they verbally attacked him. “I’m trying to be on my best behavior because I don’t want to get in trouble,” Mandy added.

The group later left the restaurant without leaving Mandy a tip and loitered the parking lot, perhaps hoping he would return. Instead, one of the managers threatened to call the police, and the group left the premises.

On Sunday, Nani raised $1,000 in donations after learning Mandy didn’t make enough in tips that night. He appreciated her and other co-workers who checked in after the distressing ordeal.

Mandy told The Daily Beast he plans to file a lawsuit against the company to prevent other Black workers from having to experience what he went through.

“Business should not come first; money shouldn’t come first. And that’s the perception that I have … of my boss. It was really hard for me to even think about going back to work because it’s like knowing he doesn’t care about me.”

Mandy works at the steakhouse chain to support his family and says he was torn between quitting a job he loves and maintaining his self-worth.