Lubbock Saltgrass Manager and Busboy Fired for Use of N-word

Earlier this month, a TikTok was posted showing a manager at the Saltgrass Steak House in Lubbock, Texas defending a busboy for using a racial slur.

TikTok user and Saltgrass employee, Angel Acheam, overheard a white busboy use the N-word toward a Black busboy, so she decided to approach the manager about the issue. It seems that the interaction did not go as Acheam might have planned, so she started filming as the manager defends the busboy for using the slur.

The video is captioned explaining how the manager said that Black people can’t dictate who can use the slur. He proceeds to defend his view by saying he has nieces and nephews that are Black, so he supposedly understands the situation.

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After the manager makes the claim of having Black relatives, Acheam tries to explain to him how that is a poor defense that is used by ignorant people. However, the manager cuts her off to try and claim there was a misunderstanding about how the slur was being used.

Acheam then clarifies that she heard the term being used in a derogatory way and not as a term of endearment, as the manager seemed to be suggesting. She follows up by stating, "It should have never even came out of his mouth. He should not ever think it. He should never repeat it."

Something that is vital to understanding why using that word is so harmful, and why the manager can't dictate who can and can't use the word, was said at the very start of the video. Acheam states, “you do not live your life every day looking like me.”

According to the International Business Times, upon seeing the video, the establishment's business manager made a response, explaining that the manager and the busboy who used the slur were both fired after further investigation.

"We were as shocked and appalled as anyone when this matter came to our attention and immediately began a thorough and swift investigation. As a result, the employees involved were immediately terminated," the business manager said.