Waitress at IHOP asks Black teens to pay before receiving food

An IHOP in Auburn,  Maine, ended up with egg on its face last week after one of its waitresses asked a group of Black teenagers to pay for their meal upfront, reports Fox News. The manager of the restaurant apologized once the incident became public. Melvin Escobar told the Sun Journal he does not believe the incident was racially motivated. “We don’t discriminate against people for what they are or who they are,” he said. “This is the first time it happened and that will be the last time.” According to a Facebook post, a young lady and her family were finishing up their meal when four teens came in and sat down and began to order. She said they were respectful, bu then the waitress told them they had to pay beforehand. When the young lady and her family questioned the waitress, she claimed it was what management had asked her to do. The FB post went viral and put IHOP management on the spot. The local IHOP apologized, as did corporate, calling it an “isolated incident.”