Real Estate Agent Fired After Leaving Hateful Message Instead of Tip on Restaurant Receipt

Mar. 15, 2025

Cazuelas Mexican Restaurant & Cantina.Photo:Google Maps

Google Maps

A Mexican restaurant in Ohio and its employees have received an outpouring of public support after one customer allegedly left a hateful message instead of a tip.

On Monday, March 3, a Facebook user postedimagesof a Cazuelas Mexican Cantina receipt with the female customer’s handwritten note to the waiter, Ricardo. The receipt read for the $87.84 meal read, “Zero. You suck” on the line where tips are added. Below, the signature line read, “I hope Trump deports you!!!”

The incident allegedly occurred on Sunday, March 2, at the Cazuelas Mexican Restaurant & Cantina in Columbus, Ohio. It followsPresident Donald Trump’srecent immigration efforts, including mass deportations of illegal immigrants and attempts toput an end to birthright citizenship.

Stock image of a restaurant check on patterned cloth.Getty

Getty

“We are aware of the situation with the agent in question. Hate has no place within the CENTURY 21 brand, and we are taking this very seriously," a spokesperson from CENTURY 21 Excellence Realty told PEOPLE in a statement.

“After investigating the situation and connecting with the respective broker, as all companies affiliated with the CENTURY 21 brand are independently owned and operated, we can confirm that this agent is no longer affiliated with the brand,” the statement continued.

Columbus REALTORS® also issued astatementto its members on March 3, confirming that the woman is not a current member of the association.

Stock image of restaurant bill.Getty

Fabio Oribo, the head of marketing at Cazuelas, toldThe Colombus Dispatchthat Ricardo does not have a history of poor customer service. He added that Ricardo is a natural-born U.S. citizen and from a Latino background.

“It was a normal Sunday,” Oribo said. “Things got a little busy, so the wait could have been a little longer than usual, but we aren’t really sure what made her write that.”

“From what I hear… she wasn’t happy about a coupon or something like that,” he toldNews 19. “It’s just not right, just not right.”

“He’s a really good person,” Oribo said of Ricardo, who works two jobs and only at the restaurant on Sundays. “We all… come here every day to do our job, which is to serve people and have a good time… Thankfully, all the community has been really supportive.”

After the post was shared, it quickly went viral and amassed over 11,000 reactions on Facebook. One person created aGoFundMeto raise money for the waiter, and has raised over $9,550 exceeding its goal of $1,000.

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A representative for Cazuelas Mexican Restaurant & Cantina did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Tuesday.

source: people.com