Customers Called 'Fat Girls' on Restaurant Bill

[Fenton]

So the key here is that it is fine and proper to insult any and all customers who patronize the establishment with "avoidable"... avoidable what? Avoidable offensive appearances? Okay we'll go with that.

Table of people with exposed tatoos... "Tat thugs"
Woman with some exposed piercings... "Pincushion broad"
Couple wearing out-of-date clothing... "1970's Rejects"
A pair of plain, unattractive women... "ugly bitches"

All of those are avoidable, except of course being ugly, which is in the eye of the beholder. Yet your argument encompasses them all. You say they shouldn't be "dissed", yet you support the fact that they were and toss in a completely irrelevant comment about reinforced toilets.

People deserve to be treated with respect, especially when they are paying for a service. You seem to agree... except when it comes to "fat" people, who should apparently expect
to be ridiculed.

I disagree, in too many ways to count.

Respect sure but a guarantee from all ridicule isn't something that should be expected.

Did the Restaraunt or the waiter screw up. Yup.

Do the 3 women still have a profound problem ? Yup.

I look at in terms of a National health issue thats grown to huge proportions and it effects more than the obese people who demand respect but don't possess the self respect to take care of themselves.

Sorry but the stigma of being obese doesn't need to be compared to real issues of bigotry and cruel behavior towards people that have no choice over their conditions.

It needs to be addressed as a serious health issue thats growing and effects everyone of us.

It's selfish and self destructive, two personality traits that should never be ignored.

 

[Tonawanda]

I don't know why the word "fat" is so offensive. That is what it is after all. It's fat. If it were me, I would prefer fat to obese I think.

I'm not sure, obese (medical description) is fatter than fat, but more politically correct. I don't like either one.

 

[Tonawanda]

People on the streets aren't so politically correct. I would thought you surely would know coming from Buffalo NY.

I sure do, sometimes you're better off just staying off the streets.

 

[MMC]

Hard to do when there are those that grow up on them.

 

[Tonawanda]

Hard to do when there are those that grow up on them.

Very True

 

[pragmatic]

You didn't read the story, the fat girls was on a receipt, obviously they were served.

And it appears they get served often...

 

[justabubba]

is referring to fat people as fat all that bad-what is the alternative

obese
overweight
calorically overindulgent
metabolically inappropriate eaters

weight disproportional
horizontally challenged

 

[winston53660]

Is there a photo of the girls?

 

[RepublicanMcDuc]

Is there a photo of the girls?

Yes, and they are quite large.

 

[MaggieD]

I don't know about a lawsuit, but I certainly wouldn't have a problem with the firing of the person responsible.

A lawsuit? WTH is wrong with people? A lawsuit for WHAT?? Calling somebody fat? Honest to God.

 

[winston53660]

Yes, and they are quite large.

Well then I think there is no harm done.

Watch Saturday Night Live: A Message from John Goodman online | Free | Hulu

 

[RepublicanMcDuc]

A lawsuit? WTH is wrong with people? A lawsuit for WHAT?? Calling somebody fat? Honest to God.

Yeah, a lawsuit is crazy, but I do think termination of employment is perfectly reasonable.

 

[MaggieD]

Yeah, a lawsuit is crazy, but I do think termination of employment is perfectly reasonable.

It probably all boils down to poor policies and procedures. A server ought to be able to enter in a table number or bar stool number(s) only on tickets. Anything else ought to be prohibited by the system itself.

 

[DiAnna]

ok, i'll comply with your expectation:

probably would use 'assisted adults' or 'assisted children' instead
of course, i have an advantage, i serve three designated tables, two dozen assisted adults, every monday and have to be able to distinguish them to an ever changing corps of volunteer servers


'purple heart table' might be a better, more PC designation to identify those patrons


'silver hair table' might work, unless they are bald geezers like me


would be 'black couple with the cute kid'


probably 'latino guys'


'table of well dressed and attractive gay/lesbians'

I appreciate the intent of your post. However, when the server KNOWS that the individuals at the table will actually see their "descriptions" as perceived by the servers, there simply is no excuse to use an insulting description deliberately to mock the customers basically to their face. I'd be offended to be part of the "silver-haired table", for example. My hair color is not my identity. I'm "table 4, party of two". If the servers are still too dense to understand that, a description of what "table 4, party of two" is wearing should enlighten even the slowest dullard on the staff. :shrug:

 

[Tonawanda]

You can sue, but not likely you would win. If they refused to serve them because they were fat, they might have a discrimination suit.

You can refuse to serve a porker at a restaurant because they are a porker? I don't know about restaurants, but I think being a porker does have some protected status.

Weight Discrimination Laws Laws in Place

Michigan is the only State with law prohibiting discrimination against overweight peopleEnacted in 1977. The Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination practices based on 10 categories, including weight.
Cities
Washington, DC: the Human Rights Law includes “personal appearance” in its protected categories.
San Francisco, CA: the Human Rights Commission added “weight and height” to the municipal code to ensure that pro-grams, services, and facilities would be accessible.
Santa Cruz, CA: the municipal code on discrimination includes “height, weight, or physical characteristics” as protected categories.
Binghamton, NY: the municipal code on discrimination includes “height, weight, or physical characteristics” as protected categories.

Urbana, IL: the municipal code on discrimination includes “height, weight, or physical characteristics” as protected categories.

Madison, WI: the municipal code on discrimination includes “height, weight, or physical characteristics” as protected categories.

Legislation Awaiting Action

Nevada Bill AB166 awaiting action adds “Physical characteristic” which means any bodily condition or physical attribute of a person that is a result of birth, injury, disease or natural biological development, including, without limitation:
(a) Height;
(b) Weight; and
(c) Physical mannerisms beyond the control of the person.



NAAFA-Laws in Place

Agree, but would not be astonished. I am very aware of frivolous litigation; unfortunately many of those cases result in an out of court settlement regardless of their merit.

A lawsuit? WTH is wrong with people? A lawsuit for WHAT?? Calling somebody fat? Honest to God.

These posts summarize my position on lawsuits related to this thread.

 

[MaggieD]

These posts summarize my position on lawsuits related to this thread.

Well, I learned something. Thanks for the great information.

Howsomever. It still boils down to a lawsuit in this case (whether or NOT discrimination laws are in place against fat people) being based on calling somebody fat. Calling someone fat is not actionable.

 

[Ikari]

looks like he'll be looking for work elsewhere. dumb.

It was dumb...but they're also fat. They weren't discriminated against. It's not like they went unserved because they were fat or got worse treatment.

 

[Tonawanda]

Well, I learned something. Thanks for the great information.

Howsomever. It still boils down to a lawsuit in this case (whether or NOT discrimination laws are in place against fat people) being based on calling somebody fat. Calling someone fat is not actionable.

Absolutely correct.

 

[vash1012]

To sum up the thread:

1. Being called fat is not a strong basis for a lawsuit

2. Being called fat is not a strong basis for a news story

3. Being called fat is rude, but, aside from the PC police in this thread, no one really cares if 3 fat girls no one knows were called fat by a bartender somewhere.

4. Because of the readily available unhealthy food choices and relatively sedentary lives of Americans, obesity is an epidemic that is getting out of control. There are many causes of obesity, some of which are not the fault of the person in question, but in most cases its a simple result of eating more food than is needed and not exercising. This, coupled with the increasingly shared costs of obesity through rapidly rising healthcare costs, breeds some animosity towards obese people which is sometimes expressed in offensive ways. Ultimately, its for the good of the country to begin talking openly about obesity, its detrimental effects, and how to curtail it in ways that don't produce defensive reactions from the obese or offensive reactions from people who are not obese.

 

[MMC]

How many ever saw a fat person get in their way. Whatever way driving walking trying to get round one in aisle of a store. How many said if not outloud but even in their own mind. I wish this fat azz would get out of my way? Or cmon fat azz move it along, lets get that fat azz moving poundcakes?

I think any can see that bringing an affront to others is wrong. They know it to be wrong. Yet people still do it. To expect that somehow because some will cry and whine about others bullying or pickin on people will ever stop over it. Highly unlikely such will too. The owner did the Right thing in making an offer but if these 3 go back there for the free meal. Then the issue didn't really mean anything to them at all IMO.



Still when it comes to eating out, this would be a minor issue as compared with other Restaurant Etiquette.

 

[Mason66]

I bet if they have that reciept and took it to a lawyer..off and running he would go and in the end the fat girls pockets would be a little fatter along with their attorneys...

Why would there be a financial award?

What harm was done?

Did the women not know they were fat or did they think other people didn't see them like that?

 

[Mason66]

I always got out of jury duty I was in court so fricken often anyway.....I do have a point to make...it seems alot of people in this thread with identifying the three women as fat girls...how about if the same restaurant identified 3 gay people in a negative way like three homos or the 3 or 3 black people in a negative way..would that be ok too ?

Absolutely. If it is used to indentify who they are, yes. I don't know why a Chilis would not have table numbers or maybe they guy was new and didn't know what number the table was.

The article said the words were typed onto the ticket. I don't see how that could happen. Where was it typed?

 

[Mason66]

And thats the last thing they need, obliviously.

More food free or otherwise. How about 3 one year long memberships to a health club or a free visit with a dietician.

In Houston there is this wierd occurence happening. Everywhere you look these little dialysis places are popping up in strip malls.

So I asked my older Sister why ( 25 years as a RN ) and she said Type 2 diabetees takes out your kidneys pretty quick, and it is indicative of the huge increase in Type 2 Diabetees accross our nation.

Its not funny anymore, type 2 diabetees is starting to actually crop up in kids and is approaching or already is at epidemic proportions.

The receipt ? Yea thats funny but the restaraunts response ? Stupid.

If the resturant would have offered free health club memberships to these three women they would have been more offended than just calling them fat.

Can you imaging the press coverage over that?

 

[Mason66]

You can refuse to serve a porker at a restaurant because they are a porker? I don't know about restaurants, but I think being a porker does have some protected status.

Weight Discrimination Laws Laws in Place

Michigan is the only State with law prohibiting discrimination against overweight peopleEnacted in 1977. The Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination practices based on 10 categories, including weight.
Cities
Washington, DC: the Human Rights Law includes “personal appearance” in its protected categories.
San Francisco, CA: the Human Rights Commission added “weight and height” to the municipal code to ensure that pro-grams, services, and facilities would be accessible.
Santa Cruz, CA: the municipal code on discrimination includes “height, weight, or physical characteristics” as protected categories.
Binghamton, NY: the municipal code on discrimination includes “height, weight, or physical characteristics” as protected categories.

Urbana, IL: the municipal code on discrimination includes “height, weight, or physical characteristics” as protected categories.

Madison, WI: the municipal code on discrimination includes “height, weight, or physical characteristics” as protected categories.

Legislation Awaiting Action

Nevada Bill AB166 awaiting action adds “Physical characteristic” which means any bodily condition or physical attribute of a person that is a result of birth, injury, disease or natural biological development, including, without limitation:
(a) Height;
(b) Weight; and
(c) Physical mannerisms beyond the control of the person.



NAAFA-Laws in Place

Denying service to a fat person in a resturant is like a car wash denying service if a car comes in dirty. It is their business to serve people that like to eat. Why would they deny service?

 

[Mason66]

what some are missing is he didn't intend to insult them. He was using a common tactic of servers

I know my former girlfriend was a TGIF server-manager and my wife was in that business for years as well. such shorthand for keeping track of guests is common.

I agree that on the hand written ticket it would be OK to identify the table but to type it onto the final bill, seems unnecessary.