Settlement in Treatment of Black Diners
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A restaurant operator has agreed to pay $15,000 for sensitivity training after adding a tip to the check of two black patrons and telling them: “You black people don’t tip well.”
Hiromi Takarada, acting manager of Thai Toni Restaurant in Miami Beach, agreed to the training for himself and his employees, state Atty. Gen. Bob Butterworth said Wednesday.
Butterworth sued the restaurant, seeking up to $10,000 for violation of the state’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. The $5,000 extra in the settlement was necessary to make sure all employees receive proper training, said Takarada’s attorney, Kent Harrison Robbins.
“We’re dealing with a multicultural environment and a staff that’s like the United Nations,” Robbins said.
Charles Thompson and Theresa White noticed Thai Toni added a 15% tip to their bill Oct. 23. The two discovered a white couple next to them did not have a gratuity added to their check.
Thompson, 40, complained to police after Takarada told him that the tip had been added because “you black people don’t tip well.”
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