Ms I.
Yelp
My friends and I purchased tickets to an event that hosted check-in at this place. We were the first three people to arrive at 3:15p. Upon arrival, we inquired about food and drinks while we waiting for things to begin. We were told by one Waitress that we had to wait until 4pm to place food orders but was able to order drinks which we were okay with. As other people begin to flow in, we began to notice kitchen staff bringing food out to tables. We inquired again with the same waitress and she repeated the same 4p timeframe. When we pointed out that other non-Black people (as we were the only Black women in there) received food. She stated that she took their order and put it in the system but kitchen staff has the right to fill orders when ready even if it's before 4p. I stated that we weren't even offered that same option. When I asked to speak to the manager, Roxy, she also reiterated the 4p timeframe. Again, I point out other receiving food (about 4 other non-Black parties by this time) and the discrimination we were experiencing. She said she would be back. After probably 15 minutes, she came back to finally try address the issue. Instead of an apology and correction, she tried to comb over the discrimination portion and take our order. The tickets we purchased were non-refundable so we participated in the festivities despite the discrimination. After eating and finishing our drinks, Roxy finally came over and offered an apology and even stated that she noticed the way the waitress was mishandling us and she talked with her. When trying to address the discrimination based on being 3 Black women, she tried to skip over that, make excuses, and downplay what had occurred. I refused to allow her to do such and after we FINALLY got her to listen without interrupting and downplaying the situation, she listened but it didn't seem to do much good as we felt our experience of racist discrimination did not matter to her or any of the other waitresses we encountered. It's very unfortunate that in 2023, 3 Black women can still have such experiences of discrimination based on our racial backgrounds. It's my hope that the owner is cognizant of such behavior at their establishment and handle it appropriately to ensure that no other Black customers have such a disgusting experience at Matilda's. I know we would NEVER patronize this business ever again and no one we know will ever be there either.