Waiter refuses to serve customer who insulted Down's Syndrome boy

[Cyn]

Kudos to this server who stood up for what is right

Article

Michael Garcia, a waiter at Laurenzo's, was serving a family who have been regulars since the restaurant opened. The family includes 5-year-old Milo, who has Down syndrome.

*snip*

But a customer at a nearby table who was also with his family began making comments about Milo.

The customer got up from the table and moved his family to another table further away from Milo, but still in Garcia's serving section. Garcia said the man continued talking about Milo and said, "special needs children need to be special somewhere else."

"My personal feelings took over because that's ignorance in my opinion and I told him 'Sir, I won't be able to serve you,'" Garcia tells FoxNews.com.

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The customer who made the obnoxious comment chose to leave the restaurant. It's not in the article linked above, but I read in either another one or on a Houston-based blog that the manager of the restaurant stood by Garcia's decision not to serve this twonk.

It amazes me that an adult can be that insensitive, narrow-minded, and downright cruel regarding a five year-old child. If Milo had been throwing a tantrum or behaving in a manner that was way out of line, it would have been understandable to want to change tables. However, this kid wasn't out of control, screaming, or doing anything to bother other patrons, but for this guy to snot off by saying that "special needs children need to be special somewhere else" is beyond reprehensible.

After speculating on this for a few moments, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if this ass-clown's own kids have likely acted like holy terrors in public places, but because they were his own spawn, their behavior was excused.....And if someone so much as implied that they needed to dial it down a notch, he would fly into a rage to defend them.

[paskatefan]

Good for the server!

[Karina1974]

Awesome story!

[ChelleC]

Good for him!!!

[barbk]

That's a guy deserving of a BIG tip. Good for him. And good for his manager backing him.

[Reuven]

Good for him!!! The Down syndrome children and adults I’ve met all have the sweetest temperament. We can learn a lot from them in dealing with our fellow humans.

[skatesindreams]

That's a guy deserving of a BIG tip. Good for him. And good for his manager backing him.

Indeed!

[Jayar]

That's a guy deserving of a BIG tip. Good for him. And good for his manager backing him.

Serving a child with Down's Syndrome is likely enough tip

[judiz]

Good for him. glad the manager backed him up.

[Smiley0884]

Glad the manager backed him up too. Having worked in a couple of restaurants in the past, I'm not sure I could imagine many of my managers backing me up in a similar situation.

[Anita18]

If I'd witnessed this, I'd have given him a BIG tip too!

[cruisin]

What a fantastic person! So glad his manager backed him up. We need more people to stand up for others like that. Thanks for sharing that Cyn.

[Zemgirl]

The customer is most certainly not always right. Good on Garcia for doing the right thing and his manager for backing him up; I hope the positive attention will get them a lot of business.

I also hope this won't result in any unwanted attention for Milo's family, though I'm sure they're happy that this positive message will be getting across.

[Wyliefan]

Good for him!

[Latte]

Good for him, I would give him a big tip.

[Karina1974]

The customer is most certainly not always right.

I've always thought that saying was a bullshit statement. When the customer has the nerve to ask for things that go against set company policy, they are always wrong. When I was a bank teller I was always being asked to bend/break policy. I had no problem saying no because I knew my branch manager would back me up if it came to her having to get involved.

[AragornElessar]

YAY for him standing up for what's right and for the Manager backing him up.

Cyn, if you really want to see how stupid people can be, come out w/me sometime and see how they react to my white cane. Sadly due to my own experiences, the way this nimrod acted is not a surprise.

[cruisin]

YAY for him standing up for what's right and for the Manager backing him up.

Cyn, if you really want to see how stupid people can be, come out w/me sometime and see how they react to my white cane. Sadly due to my own experiences, the way this nimrod acted is not a surprise.

Aragorn, do you have visual problems? A white cane is usually an indication that someone is blind. I sincerely hope that is not the case for you.

[DarrellH]

Good for him, the mangaer, and the restaurant. Hopefully more people will visit them to show support.

[LilJen]

SO nice to hear a good story like this (well, the waiter & mgmt were good; the other customer was clearly NOT). Good for him for standing up for what is right.