Forest S.
Yelp
DISCRIMINATION AND SNOBBERY AT BOB'S BIG BOY IN DOWNEY
20+ MINUTES OF STANDING IGNORED AT THE COUNTER: I WASN'T WORTHY OF HER TIME SO SHE MADE THE BUSBOY TAKE MY ORDER!!!!
I walked into the Bob's Big Boy in Downey at 11 am on Wednesday, May 14. I approached the counter to look at the menu since I wanted to buy about 3 combos, so I could have the food for the next couple of days.
A couple of older female employees walked in and out of the area behind the counter but did not look at me, they seemed a bit busy but I didn't see anyone in the limited view I had of the entire restaurant. But I saw only 2 parties in the booths, so it was practically empty-an older man was seated at the counter nearby while I stood against the counter perusing the menu. A young female employee, heavy black eyeliner, light skin, dark hair worn up, slender, and about 5"7, looked over at me twice, but she did not say anything to me. More than anything else, she looked unhappy at my presence; stern and unwelcoming is how I interpreted her facial expressions towards me.
I looked at the menu and after about 10 to 13 minutes-I took my time as no one had acknowledged my presence and I was not in a rush-I decided to get 3 Big Boy combos. I hadn't had this meal in years and I was looking forward to having one there, maybe, but definitely having most of the food for the rest of the week. The unfriendly young woman looked at me again but looked away tight-mouthed and cold, as I closed the menu. I thought, "okay, she'll be over soon." Again, this was about 15 minutes after I arrived. But I knew I wasn't getting served when I looked over to see this same inhospitable woman rushing with menus and eliciting a warm verbal greeting to 3 people who were near a table inside the store and in the process of sitting down (it was a booth near the parking lot entrance, the entrance farther from the street).
After close to 10 more minutes, I was getting irritated. In standing there, I felt I was being treated as though I was part of the decor-she looked at me two more times and both times I raised my left arm as if I was saying "don't you see me here?" But she still didn't say anything to me or change the dour look upon her face. At this point, I saw an older man, an employee who I believe is a busboy, who was walking with a marked limp-which I state for identification purposes and the hardships she induced him to endure-go into the area near the cash register/soft drink fountain behind the counter. The woman looked at me again. I looked at her again with a look that could be interpreted as my saying "what's going on here?" She called over the much older busboy and loudly said to him, "Go see what that guy wants!" He finally made it over, and I said, "What's going on here, everyone's getting served here but me." He ignored my question. In a very heavy accent he seemed to only be able to say, "Do you want something to drink?" I said, "No, how come no one wants to serve me, what is this? ( more silence)...look, I want to order a Big Boy combo to go." Again he posed, "Do you want something to drink?" I said, "No, just the food. To go."
By now I'd lost my desire for Bob's Big Boy and my entire appetite too actually. He walked back to the unfriendly young woman. I watched her from afar as she was keying in my order and a feeling of disgust came over me. This young woman too self important-and prejudiced-to take down my order, made the poor older busboy do it, because she did not want to interact with me. Is it because I'm darker than her? I thought, what am I doing here with these unprofessional, terrible people...I'm not spending ANY money here. If they treat me this horribly--a top-20 university grad, 2-branch US veteran, and someone who is both friends and works with professional baseball players--it follows that their food service skills, food preparation, and on the job integrity is just as poor, just as absent and just as derelict. So I walked out. And I'm very happy I did so.
