This California waitress has been tipped over $60,000 after confronting a racially abusive Silicon Valley entrepreneur.
Not only the Carmel Valley waitress was clear the man has no right to offend the other customers like that, but she also told him he is not allowed in the restaurant ever again.
The unpleasant incident happened on the Fourth of July at Lucia restaurant in Carmel Valley, California, ABC7 News reports.
VIDEO: San Francisco tech CEO kicked out of restaurant after racist rant aimed at SoCal family https://t.co/lqU4gvu1kP
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) July 7, 2020
The Lucia restaurant server Gennica Cochran defended an Asian family’s honor and dignity as she confronted a racist CEO – the 37-year-old Michael Lofthouse. After the awfully rude man yelled at the family, “Trump is going to f*** you”, Cochran immediately took action in halting the verbal abuse.
The kindhearted waitress shares she felt like something came over her when she launched into action following the CEO’s racist outburst.
“To hear the emotion coming out of my voice, to see my mannerisms, it was unbelievable it was just something that came over me and I just did what needed to be done. I did what anybody else should or would do in that situation.”
Gennica explains she felt “very protective” of the Asian family. She also mentions the vulnerability of people as they are just coming out of quarantine. The server firmly believes that no one should say such things to people.
A GoFundMe page was recently created, aiming to raise “A big tip for an everyday hero”.
The page created by Jeremy Stephens is raising money for the courageous servant. By July 10th, donators from all over the world have raised over $60,000. In the description, Stephens explains that 100% of the money will go directly to the waitress, as an act of appreciation for the way she dealt with racism at her workplace.
Furthermore, the Bernardus Lodge said they were deeply saddened such an incident happened at their restaurant. They apologized to their guests and stated they were “proud” of how their staff handled the situation.
“This is an extremely unfortunate situation, however, we are proud of our staff at Lucia in keeping with Bernardus Lodge’s core values.This incident was handled swiftly and the diner was escorted off property without further escalation. We provide guests with a safe environment for lodging and dining, and extend our sincere apologies to the guests enjoying a birthday celebration on a holiday weekend.”
Posted by Bernardus Lodge & Spa on Wednesday, July 8, 2020
The California entrepreneur later apologized for his “appalling” behavior.
Michael Lofthouse issued an apology late Tuesday, CBS News reveals. The statement reads:
“My behavior in the video is appalling. This was clearly a moment where I lost control and made incredibly hurtful and divisive comments. I would like to deeply apologize to the Chan family. I can only imagine the stress and pain they feel. I was taught to respect people of all race and I will take the time to reflect on my actions and work to better understand the inequality that so many of those around me face every day.”
