A restaurant staff refused to serve this black man at a diner. He returned to the restaurant the next day, and what he did shocked everyone who worked there.
Joseph Baker had been in line for over 45 minutes, and now this very mannerless counter staff was telling him that she couldn’t serve him. No matter how many times he asked, she wouldn’t even tell him why. This was all very new to Baker; people rarely disobeyed him, and anywhere he went, he was always in charge. So what the hell was happening here?
Baker could now clearly see that his authority would have no weight here. The counter girl was very arrogant, but she was making a very big mistake because she didn’t know who Baker was. He couldn’t fault her for that as he wasn’t wearing his police uniform that day. He was secretly excited at the thought of him coming back tomorrow with his badge in full view. He normally didn’t like to flaunt his job as a police officer, but he could see that the girl needed to be put back in her place. She was being racist, and as both an officer of the law and a black man, he couldn’t let this slide. He would be delighted to see the expression on her face when she realized who she was dealing with.
The whole thing started that afternoon when Baker decided to get lunch at a local diner. It was a hot day in the city of Alexandria, and Carl Joseph Baker just wanted a break after working for six consecutive 12-hour shifts. All he wanted was to sit down and relax for one day. He had meticulously planned this day, and his plan was simple. He would sleep in before going outdoors to enjoy a meal at the local diner. Then he would soak up some sun and fresh air, enjoy several hours of relaxation, and when the evening came, he would go back home to watch the game with a cold beer.
That morning, instead of an alarm, Baker’s dog woke him up by jumping on him. He slowly opened his right eye and saw the sun shining through the partially closed curtains. It was almost 12:00 p.m., so he smiled. Mission one, which was sleeping in, had been successfully accomplished. He stood up and got dressed, then made himself a cup of coffee and thought about what was next on the agenda. He was to go to the local diner to get lunch. He had never had time to go there before, but from what he had heard, their food was great. “It better be great,” he thought because he was now feeling slightly hungry.
But as Baker left his home, what he didn’t know was how much he’d regret going there. The restaurant wasn’t really far from his place, so he got there after a 15-minute walk. As he got in, he was pleasantly surprised to see that it looked cozy and comfy. There were only a few tables inside, and half of them were empty. This was nice, Baker thought. He liked informal places with a homely vibe. There was even a short line to wait in before the counter. On one hand, having to queue up was annoying because he was hungry, but on the other hand, a line at a restaurant meant the food and service had to be great. Oh, how wrong he was.
Baker stood at the back of the line and picked up a menu to decide what he wanted. After waiting in line for about 10 minutes, he got close to the counter. However, something was wrong. The staff at the counter were looking at him strangely, peering at him with dirty looks. That was odd. It had been a very long time since anyone had had the guts to look at him like that. When he was wearing his work uniform, people normally looked at him and treated him a little differently, but here, no one knew who he was. Perhaps that was the reason for the looks.
Even though the weird looks from the staff were making him uncomfortable, he stayed patient. But now his patience was starting to wear thin. He finally arrived at the head of the line and was ready to order his food and sit down, but what happened next made him see red.
When it got to his turn, Baker smiled and greeted the woman behind the counter, but instead of a smile, she stared back at him coldly with a look of impatience. The officer thought she was just exhausted after working a long shift, so he still smiled as he told her what he wanted. He felt that maybe his attitude would rub off on her and she’d cheer up. He knew he could help in some way or another, but his smile didn’t work.
To his surprise, the counter girl told him that the food he had decided on was not available. That was odd. He was sure he had just seen someone eating bacon and eggs. But no problem, he had a backup order. He calmly told her his second choice and waited. To his dismay, he got the same response. She shook her head once again and told him the order was not available.
Baker could now feel his annoyance bubble up. He’d been waiting in line for 15 minutes now. They didn’t even have the food he wanted, but the restaurant was half empty and it was still pretty early for lunch. How could they have already run out of the basics? That was pretty silly. If he had known from the start that the food he wanted wasn’t going to be available, he wouldn’t have waited in line at all. And what was even more annoying was the attitude of the counter attendant. She wasn’t bothered that a customer wouldn’t get his desired meals, didn’t even try to suggest he order something else. She just kept looking at him with disdain.
But Baker was a trained police officer. He knew how to keep his cool under pressure, so he kept his frustration to himself and asked the counter girl what they currently had. They could work out something from there. But the girl did the exact opposite of what Baker was expecting. Instead of doing as he asked, she stared at him with an annoyed expression and loudly popped the gum she was chewing in his face.
By now, Baker had had enough. The attendant’s poor attitude and the lack of the food he wanted were getting a bit too much for him. He had to speak his mind. Looking at the girl calmly but sternly, Baker asked her if he could speak to the manager. Normally, this question puts fear into the mind of any worker, but not this girl. Without saying a word, she stepped to the left and yelled into the back kitchen. When she got no response, she yelled again. She then returned her blank gaze to Baker as a middle-aged woman came out of the back door in response to her call.
The woman came towards Baker. The first words out of her mouth were very shocking. She asked him what his problem was. What was he doing to delay the people behind him? Baker should have been stunned by this response, but he wasn’t. Now he could see where the worker had gotten her bad attitude from. This was becoming a nightmare, but even though he knew this wasn’t going to be pleasant, he was going to stand his ground. Baker overlooked the silly accusation that he was responsible for the line behind him. Sure, there were two people now waiting behind him, but it wasn’t his fault. It was because of the poor way the diner was run and because of the unprofessional attitude of the girl at the counter.
So Baker calmly explained to the manager what happened. He then offered ideas on how the manager should fix the problem he saw in her establishment. But today must have been a day of multiple surprises because the manager’s response made his blood boil. The manager burst out laughing. She laughed so hard that Baker thought she might fall. Then, unbelievably, a cook came out to the register and talked to the manager. She did not even mind that Baker was standing there listening, didn’t even bother to whisper. The chef told the manager very clearly that it was better she pulled her off the line because she was not going to serve someone like him. Someone like him?
Baker’s mouth hung open. Surely this was unacceptable behavior from the restaurant staff. Baker turned to the manager and waited for her to take action, but instead, the manager began to laugh again. The cook looked at Baker closely and hissed before walking off. Now Baker was surprised he’d been able to keep his cool for this long.
He calmly advised the manager to treat their customers better or else there would be serious repercussions. But just as he predicted, the manager didn’t take his advice seriously. She told him in the coldest way possible that sometimes things don’t go the way we want them to. So instead of complaining and delaying others, he should act like a grown-up and leave the restaurant. Then she repeated what the cook had said: the establishment did not serve people like him.
Now Baker was losing his cool. How dare they talk to him like this? This was the 21st century, and he was being refused service because of the way he looked? Baker had had enough. He was tired of playing Mr. Nice Guy. They had to take him seriously. So he stood straight and spoke with an authoritative tone, asking her to explain what she meant by people like him. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
It better not be what he was thinking. But what the manager said next confirmed his suspicions. The woman wasn’t even scared of the consequence of her actions when she admitted that she didn’t like black people. She told Baker that she didn’t need to explain herself to anyone because this was her establishment and she had the right to refuse service to anyone she deemed unworthy of it. Then she told him to get out of the restaurant before he caused a scene.
Baker was now seeing red. He was definitely not used to people boldly flaunting their racist views. He had never been so insulted like this in his entire life. The disrespect was appalling, but something else made him blush. The people in the diner and in the queue began to take notice of the exchange. As he looked around, he could see everyone’s eyes on him.
This was really embarrassing, he thought. When it was clear that the woman meant what she said by wanting him to get out, Baker realized that there was nothing he could do. However, what she didn’t know was who he was or the authority he could bring to bear on her. It was a good thing he didn’t put on his uniform today because it showed him the true character of the staff there. He was too used to getting respected and loved when he walked around in his full police outfit. Today proved that going out in plain clothes was a great way to see what people were really like.
Baker looked around the diner again. He didn’t recognize any of the customers eating there, but he wondered if anyone there recognized him. But the way they just looked down at their plates, their cheeks suddenly red, showed him that they had no idea who he was and that they didn’t care either. If they knew or cared, they would have probably warned the diner staff what a big mistake they were making. And that’s when he noticed another interesting detail: none of the customers or the staff inside the restaurant were black. How had he not noticed this before? His heart broke when he realized that he was probably not the first black customer the staff had refused service to, but he would do anything in his power to be the last.
With nothing left to say, Baker turned back to the manager and the rude counter girl to give them one last cold look. At the same time, he was storing their faces in his head. When he was done, he turned to walk away. He was going to make them pay for their disgusting behavior. As he left, he could hear the staff laughing again. Baker smiled. He wasn’t going to let them go unpunished. But first, he was going to do something else. He would find another place to eat, take the walk, and watch tonight’s game. Then tomorrow, he would come back here in his uniform to teach them a lesson. He was sure they wouldn’t be laughing anymore when he did.
The next morning, Baker put on his police uniform and went to work. He wasn’t just a police officer; he was a senior officer with up to 15 years on the force. He had a lot to catch up with at work, and his morning was occupied with his police duties. But he never forgot his promise to go back to the diner and teach those unprofessional staff a lesson they would never forget in a long time. He couldn’t wait to see the scared looks on their faces when he returned.
That’s exactly what happened. That afternoon, Baker had a meeting with the city mayor at the city hall. After the meeting, he decided to stop by at the diner on his way back. He pulled his cruiser up right outside the restaurant, and he was very pleased to find a parking space there. With his full police uniform, he pushed through the doors and walked into the restaurant with a stern face.
His presence immediately filled the entire diner. Baker was by nature a very tall man with broad shoulders, and with his uniform on, he commanded authority. He could immediately see how different everyone stared at him. They looked at him with smiles and respect; some even saluted. This was funny to Baker because some of them were the same people who did nothing when he was being embarrassed yesterday.
When he got to the counter, all the workers suddenly perked up. Even the counter girl, who was very rude the previous day, was now much more attentive. As soon as she saw him, she put her gum away and smiled, asking him what he wanted. But then it happened. She slowly recognized him, and her face immediately went white with fear. The man she had disrespected just yesterday was a senior police officer. Baker didn’t waste a second. He immediately asked to see the manager. This time, the counter girl was scared as she heard this. Instead of yelling as she’d done the day before, she walked to the door of the back kitchen and knocked calmly.
As he waited for the manager, he stood with authority, one hand resting on his waist belt and another holding the radio device on his left shoulder. He did look a lot like an officer that meant business. But Baker was in for a surprise today. The manager in charge today was a different woman. She seemed so kind and cheerful compared to the rude manager he’d met yesterday, and she seemed like a great boss because all the staff were well-behaved today. But Baker didn’t mind. He told her what had happened yesterday and reported all the disgusting actions of the counter girl, the cook, and the manager.
The woman, who was actually the head manager, was shocked by his tale. She couldn’t imagine that such a disrespectful scene had taken place in that establishment and that a respected police officer had been involved in it. She apologized immediately and promised Baker that she would launch a full internal investigation into what had happened.
As the head manager was still trying to apologize, one of the customers stood up and approached the counter. He told the manager that he had witnessed what had happened yesterday. He and other customers saw how Baker was treated when he wasn’t in uniform. The customer had recorded the incident and had posted it on social media, where it was still going viral.
That’s when the staff knew they were in big trouble. The man then turned to the officer and deeply apologized for not defending him the previous day. He had known right away that the scene he was witnessing was wrong, but he hadn’t had the courage to stand up for him.
Baker smiled and thanked the man anyway. His work here was done. The head manager kept pleading with him and told him that all the culprits would be dealt with. As the counter girl tried to say something to defend her actions, the head manager hushed her and told her that she’d been suspended with immediate effect.
Baker left happy that he’d put her in line and that discrimination would end in the diner. Shortly after, the story became viral on social media, and people began to protest the poor handling of the officer. Soon after that, several black people came out with their own horrible experience at the restaurant. Many told a similar tale of refusal and mockery, which explained why the diner was always half empty. The black community had decided to stop trying to get service there altogether, preferring other establishments where they were treated with the respect they deserved as human beings.
The diner was forced to release a statement to apologize to Baker and the police department, but it did them no good. Everyone was very angry at them for hiring discriminating staff. Some people said that they would boycott the restaurant, while others even threatened to attack it. Some even wondered why Baker didn’t sue it for a huge sum.
But everyone, including the Alexandria Police Union, commended Officer Baker for handling the matter so perfectly by disengaging rather than escalating the confrontation. Baker was even more celebrated when he stood firm against any attempts to attack or boycott the restaurant. He declared that he was not in support of cancel culture, nor did he want to see any crime come to the diner as a result of this. He also discouraged anyone from trying to boycott the establishment because the actions of a few staff didn’t represent the views of the majority there.
In response to the enormous amount of backlash, the diner had to take concrete steps. The head manager of the restaurant tracked Baker down and apologized for the shocking behavior of the three members of staff. As for the counter girl, the manager, and the cook, they were promptly fired. They tried getting sympathy online, but nobody cared. Everyone saw them for what they really were: terrible people who discriminated against a brave police officer just because he was black. The new management promised to do better, and soon enough, the community decided to give the diner another chance. Officer Baker was the first to show up, and this time he was served exactly what he had asked for.
