Taco Bell worker refuses to serve customer who doesn't speak Spanish

[Deletedaccount1]

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/loc...218395910.html

You can watch the video on the website. Transcript below:

In the video, which was posted Thursday night, Montgomery asked the annoyed woman, “Do you have a manager here?”

“She is in her house sleeping,” the employee replied in Spanish in a dismissive tone. There was no one else to take the order, the employee claimed.

“Honey, I have a car behind you,” the employee says in Spanish and closes the window.

“Can you move please? I have an order behind you. There is no one who speaks English,” the woman tells Montgomery in the video and threatens to call the police.

“This is Hialeah, I’m sorry,” she said in Spanish.

Two other Taco Bell workers approached the drive thru window when they heard the altercation, but apparently they did not try to help the client.

“No more, papi,” the clerk said in Spanish to a man who was in the car with Montgomery and was trying to argue that they were in the United States.

Basically they wouldn't serve a lady who doesn't speak Spanish and justified it by saying that they were in a part of Florida where it is assumed everyone speaks Spanish. Taco Bell apologized for the incident and gave the customer a $100 gift card.

What is truly astonishing to me is how little English you would need to know as a Taco Bell worker to take someone's order. You would need to be able to count to 10 or 15, know a few basic Spanish and English words and understand brand names for drinks which are probably the same in Spanish.

Should you be expected to learn English when living/working (presumably indefinitely) in the United States?

[ro9ue]

I think it's just a failure on the management's part to not have hired people who speak English... in and English-speaking country.

[kaelix1]

We had a problem like that here in Romania (a hungarian lady refuse to sell a Romanian some stuff in a big international shop), our government gave them a fine and that woman still work there

[Khaza-R]

The United States doesn’t have a national language. So yeah, it’s fine.

In Miami the majority of the people speak Spanish as their primary language. So if you want to live there and not learn Spanish then you should expect some heavy language barriers

[Daedius]

One would think it'd be a requirement to speak the predominant language of the country's language, with others being a benefit, for work.

Hmmz

But this is unskilled Labour we're talking about, so out the (order) window that goes!

[Aitch]

I’m sure nothing happened preceding this video that might explain this behaviour.

[Ahlae]

I think it's a problem with any job that requires you to deal with customers. That job literally requires you to communicate with the customer and take their order, so yes they should be minimally able to speak and understand English; and of course certain areas being bilingual is a huge plus.

[Fojos]

We have the same disgusting situation in Sweden. Where you have to know arabic to get by in some areas.

This is what happens when you let anyone inside.

[Jonnusthegreat]

This worker should definitely be fired. Could not serve a customer and most likely the majority of customers.

[Khaza-R]

This worker should definitely be fired. Could not serve a customer and most likely the majority of customers.

80+% of people in Miami, let alone Hialeah speak Spanish as their primary language. So I’m afraid you don’t know what you’re talking about.

[draynay]

Only English speakers should be eating at Taco Bell anyway, since they don't know any better.

[Khaza-R]

Talk about a cop out answer. We primarily speak English here. The manger should be talked to regarding this as well for not covering her bases by having a primary customer ignored.

Well in Miami you aren’t the majority. So I guess you should get over it?

[Svifnymr]

This worker should definitely be fired. Could not serve a customer and most likely the majority of customers.

Hialeah and some other areas of Miami-Dade county are predominately Cuban. Doubt we're allowed to discuss the specifics of Cuban culture in Miami-Dade...


That said, I've dealt with customers that speak languages I do not, sort of stupid to not make it work in some way. Today I had some Chinese tourists and we used Google Translate. 25 years ago when I worked at McDonalds, we had a picture menu for customers that didn't speak/hear or language issues.

Who knows what happened before the video started though.

[Sky High]

/sigh
no, go to a different store if it's that big of a deal for you. or get actual fucking Mexican food.

[Pebrocks The Warlock]

If you want to live in a country then I think you should try to learn the majority language. It's very strange when I meet someone who's lived in the US for 30 years and know zero English.

[lunatic02]

I think it's just a failure on the management's part to not have hired people who speak English... in and English-speaking country.

technically the united states doesn’t have an official language... we just mostly speak english.

[draynay]

or get actual fucking Mexican food.

For reals, going to Taco Bell best case scenario you get super shitty food, worst case, this happens and you get $100 worth of super shitty food.

[Sastank]

People should somehow fix it for a week so that anywhere that worker goes they only speak English and refuse her any sort of service because English isn't her native language.

True justice.

[Darya]

Should you be expected to learn English when living/working (presumably indefinitely) in the United States?

Yes, you should learn the language the majority uses in their daily lives in any country if you intend to live there.

[Sky High]

Yes, you should learn the language the majority uses in their daily lives in any country if you intend to live there.

in that area the overwhelming majority speaks Spanish, whomp whomp.