SPOKANE, Wash. — A local restaurant is facing backlash after a viral social media video accused staff of racist treatment.
Maddie’s Corner Cafe became the center of controversy after a TikTok video posted just days ago sparked racism accusations against the restaurant located at Indiana and Washington.
“We literally waited for like half an hour and we never got served… but some white people showed up and they got served real quick,” the man said in the video.
The original video was taken down from TikTok, but copies are still circulating online. The video just showed the outside of the restaurant.
Restaurant owner Jennifer Hesseltine shared surveillance video from Saturday morning showing the customer who posted the TikTok sitting unattended at a corner table.
“A couple and their child came in to have breakfast on Saturday morning and came in, got seated, got menus, got drinks, and then got forgotten about,” Hesseltine said.
Hesseltine says the incident was caused by a mix-up in server rotation and poor communication that led to the table being missed. She admits it was a service mistake but denies any racial motivation.
“It was a big mistake. it turned in to be the biggest mistake of my career. But it didn’t have anything to do with race,” Hesseltine said.
The viral video has taken a toll on the business. The restaurant’s Google reviews plummeted overnight.
“We had a 4.5 Google review, and in 12 hours, it went down to 1.4 from people that haven’t even ever stepped foot in my building,” Hesseltine said.
The backlash didn’t stop there. The restaurant has received threats.
“People are calling me and threatening us. Threatening me personally. So it’s been a hard week,” Hesseltine said.
In response, Maddie’s Corner Cafe is retraining its staff by having each server focus on their own section instead of using server rotations.
“Your tables are only in your section. You will only be in that section. It will not happen again, not on my watch,” Hesseltine said.
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