Waitress suspended for posting racist customer receipt on Facebook

It’s a story that first made news over the weekend and is quickly picking up steam, ironically, because of social media.

A customer at a Tennessee Red Lobster restaurant allegedly left a racist message on a receipt. An African American waitress subsequently posted the receipt to Facebook with the message:

“This is what I got as a tip last night…so happy to live in the proud southern states..God Bless America, land of the free and home of the low class racists of Tennessee”

A Red Lobster spokesperson subsequently told the Consumerist, that it is “extremely disturbed by this situation and [we] are currently investigating to determine exactly what happened.”

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail reports that the waitress has been suspended with full pay pending the outcome of the investigation.

Ten years ago, we would have never heard about this story unless, maybe, we lived in the same town as this particular Red Lobster. However, today, this viral story presents front-page issues, which are becoming more and more prevalent. Sadly, your company may ultimately face similar workplace issues when racism and social media intersect.

So, managers, HR professionals, and employment lawyers, put yourselves in the shoes of the decision-makers at Red Lobster and tell me in the comments below, how would you handle this situation — especially with respect to the waitress?

UPDATE (9/14/13): The Consumerist reported yesterday that “the server is back at work this week per her usual schedule, and didn’t miss a day of work during the brouhaha.”