ANAHEIM, Calif. – A surveillance camera captured a customer’s racially-charged rant as he berated an employee over a sign that advertised a daily taco special in Spanish at a Mexican restaurant in Southern California.
The incident took place recently at Palapas Tacos in Anaheim.
Juan Del Rio, the restaurant’s owner told KTLA on Wednesday that he thinks the man became upset over a sign in front of his business that advertises the different daily specials.
One of the daily specials is a Friday fish taco for $1.99.
The unidentified customer tried to order the item on a different day and was surprised when he was charged more than that.
The confusion may have stemmed over a set of different signs advertising the daily specials inside and outside the restaurant. in the business, the menu lists the specials in English and Spanish, while a sign outside has it only in Spanish.
That is apparently what caused the man to become irate, according to Del Rio.
“That’s bull—-! It says it in Mexican. We’re not in Mexico, we’re in America,” the customer can be heard saying in the video. “This is America. Not Spanish.”
The outside sign has been up since the restaurant opened a few years ago, and this was the first time Del Rio realized it wasn’t bilingual.
The incident also marks the first time anyone has been upset over the fact that it is only in Spanish, he added.
In addition to berating the casher, the customer also later threatened to call immigration officials on Del Rio, the owner said.