Sadie Elledge works at a little lunch diner in downtown Harrisonburg, Virginia. She recently had a couple walk out on her with no tip. Unfortunately, it happens to servers, even for no reason, and it’s wrong. But this time there was a reason — one that was despicable. It had nothing to do with her service. It was to do with how Sadie looked and the color of her skin. Sadie said while serving the couple, they refused to make contact with her. They signed their check and added,
“We only tip citizens.”
Ironically Sadie Elledge was born and raised in America. Her grandfather John Elledge posted a photo of the check on Facebook. The restaurant manager, Tom Marchese, okayed Sadie’s grandfather to also post the name of the restaurant (Jess’ Lunch). The racist couple were outed and outraged. They went back into restaurant and began yelling obscenities at Sadie. The police were called and Sadie’s grandfather was also called. When he got there, he was asked by the woman who signed the check — why he shared her identity on social media.
”She was asking me why I posted it, Elledge said. I said obviously, it was an insult. Your signature against my granddaughter. Darn right I’m going to post it. And no apologies.”
Here is the news video:
The couple was eventually was told by the restaurant to never come back or they would be charged with trespassing.
Sadie received a note from the community thanking her and they gave her a tip. She received love from around the world with many people wanting to send her money. Instead, she says she would rather see people contribute to New Bridges Immigrant Resource Center and/or the Samuel R. Bowman II Scholarship for Hispanic students, through the Harrisonburg Community Foundation. If you do decide to contribute to these organizations, please mention, “Tip for Sadie.”
When asked if she would serve the couple again if they came in, she said yes.
”It makes me a stronger person.”
Just wow. Thank you, Sadie, for being a courageous and amazing example of the best this country is made of, and for exposing and speaking out against the worst.