Footage shows women telling Burger King manager to 'go back to Mexico' for talking to staff in Spanish: 'You're in America'
Two customers at a Burger King outlet in Florida reportedly told the general manager of the restaurant to "go back to Mexico" if he wanted to continue speaking in Spanish.
Ricardo Castillo, who is of Puerto Rican descent, was seen in an online video being shamed by two unidentified women as they ate at his restaurant in Eustis, located north of Orlando, CNN reports.
"You're in America, you should speak American English," one woman is heard saying, to which Castillo responds, "No ma'am, I don't."
"Yeah, yeah, go back to Mexico if you want to keep speaking Spanish, go back to your Mexican country, your state, your country," the woman retorts.
Neyzha Borrero, another diner at the restaurant, recorded the whole exchange that took place on July 6 before sharing the footage on social media.
She told CNN the women began complaining after the manager spoke Spanish in front of them.
Castillo was reportedly doing some paperwork on a table when one of his subordinates approached him and spoke with him in Spanish, Borrero said.
"The two ladies were next to the manager, and after the employee left, they told Castillo they wanted to complain," she added.
The manager offered to give the disgruntled customers credit or a free dessert thinking it was about the meal.
However, the duo told him he shouldn't be conversing in Spanish in public because "we are in the USA."
Borrero was at the joint with her boyfriend Oni Martinez when she saw the incident unfold.
When the women told Castillo to go back to Mexico, he replied saying, "Guess what, ma'am, I'm not Mexican. I'm not Mexican but you're being very prejudiced and I want you out of my restaurant, right now."
The manager threatened to call authorities if they didn't leave, but one of the women said she would only leave after finishing her meal.
"People like you, so ignorant and disrespectful," the manager went on, before they eventually left.
In an email statement, the Eustis Police Department told CNN they were not involved with the incident as "no officers responded and we were not notified."
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Burger King said in a statement: "There is no place for discrimination in our restaurants. We expect employees and guests to treat each other with respect. This incident took place at a franchised restaurant and the owner is looking into the matter."
According to Borrero, the women did not come back and the manager maintained his calm throughout the exchange.
"We applauded him because he never disrespected them at all. He was very professional," she said.
She said such episodes happened on a regular basis. "I have witnessed many similar situations. It's even happened to me," Borrero, who is herself from Puerto Rico, said.