keith lee and the black owned business discourse

In today's video, I discuss Keith Lee's Atlanta visit and the black-owned business discourse.
~timestamps~
0:00 - Keith Lee hits Atlanta
3:57 - Is it a Black businesses thing?
10:05 - The Popeyes Effect
15:09 - Hair Stylists
20:42 - What Now?
~socials~
instagram: / amandapanda767
tiktok: / amandapanda767
~sources~
Study shows blacks tip less -- but they may have good reason
www.latimes.com/archives/la-x...
The Salad Giant Sweetgreen Has Used Hip Hop to Turn Lettuce Into Gold
www.thenation.com/article/arc....
Bargain Braiders Battle for Heads; Hair Stylists From Africa Arrive, Driving Down Prices
www.nytimes.com/2001/05/19/ny...

[@FearfullyandWonderfullyMade.]

If you don’t like people and you’re not good with customer service, STOP opening business’s, restaurants or working in the food industry. Enough!

[@froglifes6829]

If you cant behave yourself properly dont go to restaurants or any business.

[@htowncaveman6433]

For real!!!

[@Channel-23s]

@@froglifes6829bruh people are acting nice it’s when restaurants and businesses act shitty that they need to close rather then exist long wait times and long times to prepare shitty customer service expensive cost and weird/strange rules I’m all for kicking out foolish or crazy disrespectful customers but I’m also for shitty places to close or go under

[@FearfullyandWonderfullyMade.]

@@froglifes6829 Nobody is talking about the Karen’s and Ken’s of the world. We’re well aware they leave a bad taste for employers and employees. You knew good and well what was meant-unless you’re the one behind the counter giving customers a hard time for simply existing.

[@froglifes6829]

@@FearfullyandWonderfullyMade. Its karens and kyles not karens and kens. Anyway you sound entitled "STOP OPENING RESTAURANTS" Like come on. I know plenty of mexican spots where the people cant even speak english (0 customer service) yet the food bangs.

[@shadybrooks8174]

I'll never forget when I went into McDonalds and this black girl at the front counter was being unnecessarily rude to me. The two white men behind me noticed and kinda tilted their head at me as if they were wondering why was she being so rude to me. Then immediately afterwards, she started "Hello sir, yes and no sir-ing" the two white men was next in line. Just being overly respectful to them. In that moment I realized that black people(in the food industry) don't respect other black people because they simply don't have to. Theres no repercussions. She couldn't even give me the bare minimum respect because she doesn't respect people who look like her. She may not have said it but she definitely showed it.

[@jacquelynn2051]

As a nurse this can work the other way as well. I’ve had black patients who were rude to me but showed deference to non black nurses. I’ve had black coworkers who I was in charge of…yet they seemed to resent this fact. I’m all for showing respect to ALL…just your basic level of human decency towards another human being, but sadly I’ve seen otherwise with many black people who are rude and uncouth towards their own for no warranted reason besides you are black like them. It’s truly sad to witness.

[@rejectionisprotection4448]

I’ve been on the receiving end of similar treatment as you and it’s very galling. However, I wondered if she was being “rude” because she didn’t want you to get the wrong idea. Sometimes there is an assumed familiarity with black service staff and customers which is really uncomfortable for me. I know that when I’ve been just normal friendly to a Black guy, he takes it as a sign of interest, whereas a White guy won’t. So she may have gone to the other extreme just so you didn’t get the wrong idea.

[@shadybrooks8174]

@@rejectionisprotection4448 We'll in my case, I have no interest in women and if I did? She wouldn't be it lol. I greeted her and I said my order with no issue. At the end of the day her job is to take orders and do it in a respectful manner. Instead, she wanted to roll her eyes and ignore me. Maybe she was threatened by me. What I do know for sure is that she was out of line. Sometimes people working in customer service make their job harder than what it has to be. Trust me, I've had my fair share of men flirting with me. Those guys feel more comfortable harassing women who are working because they know we can't go anywhere and are paid to be nice. Main reason why I no longer work with the public.

[@shadybrooks8174]

@@jacquelynn2051 I believe you. I know exactly how some black people get down. They need to show black health care workers the same respect as non black ones. They subconsciously do it too.

[@swgame2511]

"In that moment I realized that black people(in the food industry) don't respect other black people because they simply don't have to." So you're broad brushing millions of blk people with the same brush? Do you do the same for other rude people who are not blk??

[@princessdollgf]

My mother (who is black) and her white friends went out to eat at a sushi place. The waiter came with a plate of cooked shrimp that he was going to place on top of their meal with some sort of sauce. She told me that while her friends had more than 5 shrimps on their plates, the waiter only put one on her plates and then left. Her friends had to take some off their plates to give to her even though they shouldn’t have to do that in the first place. She said no one left a tip and the waiter had the nerve to look offended and confused when they handed him the exact amount to pay for the meal and nothing else. It’s also worse when they treat you badly and then when you don’t give them tip, they go “See? Black customers never leave tips!”

[@trenee23000]

Excellent point!!! They never admit that their poor customer service is what led to a poor/non-existent tip.

[@EJD339]

From my experience, the stereotype is kind of true. It doesn’t excuse the right to give someone shitty service though unless someone is being an ahole. I have some black friends that tip more than normal because they don’t want the server to be judged. The whole situation sucks.

[@Ax-xo4ux]

@@EJD339when I was waiting tables- black customers would tip 15-20% on card or leave a few dollars if they had cash. My white tables would tip maybe 2 dollars on card and if I was very lucky a dollar in cash All on average

[@edmxero2029]

At what point is it obvious enough to actually say something? That's crazy

[@davidrubinstein5359]

Maybe generalizations have roots in truth

[@lordfreerealestate8302]

I remember the Pink Sauce lady who sold tainted products that could've landed her mostly-female, mostly-black customers in the hospital. She and Karamo claimed her critics were attacking her for being a female-owned, black-owned business. It's gross how people will co-opt valid causes to cover their bad behaviour. Social justice isn't just about demanding better treatment, but reflecting upon your own actions. We need to treat members of our own groups (women, POC, etc) with the same respect we'd want.

[@Roosters-rants1977]

Maybe just treat everyone with kindness in respect. You're basically saying yall deserve better than the rest. That's a huge reason for this. No other group focuses on race so much. Most groups say as bad about black customers.

[@3magikarpinamansuit281]

​@@Roosters-rants1977You nee to look inside yourself bro, your comment just agreed with the comment you are responding to.

[@KBe-tk2kw]

The pink sauce lady isn't black

[@Jcikokalol]

You just described dei

[@Rose_Castle]

​@@Roosters-rants1977no other race... thinks about race this much... are you.... you sure on that one? Because most mayonnaise based countries have had our DO have race based limitations on immigration bro. White people are the best at racism. And destroying a city if their sport team loses.... or wins. Still not sure what those rules are.

[@central8448]

I'm a black manager, for over 16 years. I've had success in black neighborhoods and I've had to correct and address my black employees treating back customers less then. It starts at the top. Managers have to lead, train and hold their employees accountable. You'll get hate from some of your staff but our people deserve better.

[@thecamillarose9806]

Why do the employees at first choose to treat black customers less than? Thats so weird to me

[@PopsTheexplorer]

I am a 61-year-old black man I live in Georgetown, South Carolina, Black people, the majority who work in Walmart, Piggly Wiggly, Food Lion, any of these restaurants not all, but the majority of them will treat black men, especially black men like garbage we have a large meth community majority of them a white they will treat these white junkies with the upmost respect

[@n1rvana_]

​​@@thecamillarose9806 Cuz in a black neighborhood 90% of the customers are black. I do not think this person is implying that they treat other races better. Just that they treat customers bad and the customers are black. Just worded strangely

[@Jame6999]

Black people have disdain for other black folks. That is why the black community never prosper or Excell. Then blacks turn around and point the finger. It's about self awareness and being accountable.

[@aliceiscalling]

​@@n1rvana_ Every black friend that I have has at some point or another expressed self hating views towards the black community. Especially black women showing disgust towards black men (one friend said "the paler, the better" in regards to her dating tastes). It's honestly very sad to see, but some genuinely just don't like others of their own race and will treat them worse. For context, I am BIPOC myself, but the I part. I'm mostly friends with black women, less so men. I've even seen one's mother, who is a self proclaimed black supremacist, refuse to date anyone but white men. It boggles me.

[@TheLeslieMichelle]

Here's a Tip: If you go anywhere (restaurant, Nail/Hair Salon, etc.) and you pay them, and they STILL treat you like you don't deserve any services, a clean area to get stuff done, food, or anything...STOP GOING THERE! I don't care if they're Black-Owned or not, you're not paying for their attitude, filth, or bad services. Especially when you're not displaying these qualities to begin with yourself.

[@Ramberta]

Yep, this is why I stopped going to nail salons. I once paid ten whole dollars to get gel acrylics popped off with a credit card... never again!!! I do my own nails now or keep them natural.

[@chadwells7562]

Yes. Have self respect. That’s why I’ve stopped going to most Caribbean restaurants.

[@Ramberta]

@@benniepotts I've supported black-owned businesses for over a decade and have received excellent customer service and products from all but 1 person, and that person did give me free product a couple years later as an apology! So please don't try to excuse your bias against these businesses. We don't support them "just because they're black"-- yikes!

[@Lahawili]

Nail salons! Goodness gracious I went once and never again. I got a basic paint job and Ooops wouldn't you know everything was an extra they charged me more for! the nail polish colour, the equipment fee, the sparkles, the stuff she poured the polish out on... the bait and switch, and near the end i looked over at the coworker sanitizing... badly. All that on top of charging 8 dollars for a basic nail colour. @@Ramberta

[@Madkalibyr]

@@Lahawilithat’s my experience at all of the Asian nail salons I’ve gone to. Plus it’s like a random assortment of random people stepping in to do the nails etc, like whoever happened to be available and I seriously doubt they were all licensed

[@RareEarthSeries]

The great video aside I just want to say you have one of the smoothest and most listenable voices of any creator I've ever watched.

[@corpsefoot758]

Hear, hear. Podcast-level voice, and the mic is also really solid

[@thecamillarose9806]

For sure he voice is so beautiful

[@ryanmorgan5677]

I agree Evan! I also love listening to your voice!

[@Gboogie22]

YES she does. She should really audition for Siri.

[@tundratitan7]

Her voice and the way she carries herself are phenomenal. So enjoyable to listen to.😊

[@cheesebun4985]

This video was so fascinating. I’m not Black, I’m a light-skinned Palestinian-but I’ve had such similar experiences here in canada. There are certain Arab-owned restaurants in my area that I avoid because the employees are just SO RUDE to other Arabs, but are very friendly to white people. I thought I was crazy because none of my Arab friends ever mentioned having the same experiences. But it’s validating to see other people relating to that, even if it’s within a different demographic than mine. My sisters and I always blamed it on the whole “familiarity” idea too. Arab employees at restaurants will act like they know you (another Arab) and drop the professionalism, going to the rude side of familiarity instead of the friendly side. It’s so frustrating sometimes!! Like do you think I don’t see you chatting happily with that white person in line after me, when you were just scowling at me while I ordered my food 2 seconds ago??

[@Jana-fs2qf]

It's nice to see another Palestinian on here. The Arab thing is sooo true tho, coming in with insane amounts of attitude for no other reason than were the same ethnic group. They have a business to run and theyre nothing it

[@PinkNintendoDuo87]

As a fellow BIPOC, I find it absurd to normalize rudeness (no basic respect) towards your own people. Just because we happen to be of the same race/ethnicity doesn’t always mean we know each other right away. Doing so in a public environment gives the impression that you hate your own kind (intentionally or not).

[@G8tr1522]

i hope your family is doing well. 🙏

[@cccccccch33kie]

#FreePalestine!!! ❤

[@cangie6623]

I'm Caribbean. I went to the Caribbean (fast casual cafeteria style) restaurant in Georgia and watched the worker individually pick out the largest, softest pieces of oxtail (beef) for a white customer. We were next in line, ordered the same thing (coincidentally), and the same worker tried to serve us nothing but beans and gravy -____-

[@deangeloellis729]

I'm glad we got Keith Lee forcing our people to rethink the way we carry ourselves when we deal with each other because we can't keep beating each other down like this.

[@contrariantruths7020]

And there needs to be a KEITH LEE doing this in other areas of goods and services of the Black community!

[@deangeloellis729]

@@contrariantruths7020 so true

[@roygbiv9038]

Doesn’t seem like people learned anything because they just turned around and blamed Keith Lee for making black business “look bad.”

[@xoxojaiiamour]

Keith Lee had to tell y'all to STOP spending your money at business who treat you wrong or has crazy rules... Someone ELSE had to tell ATL and apparently other black ppl who look to Keith Lee as if he's some sort of genius.....when he just has COMMON sense. I definitely get that saying more and more especially when y'all actually say this stuff out loud on social media. How those business were even OPEN to begin with says to me that businesses ain't the issue at all. The CONSUMERS and how yall PAY for a business to treat you like ISH is the issue....Every Time YOU DECIDE to cross their threshold and pull out YOUR wallet WILLING, JUST to complain NOW is CRAZY. But y'all still shop at H&M and Gucci and every other place that has told black ppl how they feel about them....y'all keep them in business too... So if y'all let the white ppl play on your top with your money.... Why are y'all mad the "kin folk" decided to join the party to??? Cause either way YALL FOLD... Maybe grab some backbones and moral control over how and WHERE YOU spend YOUR DOLLARS and MAYBE just MAYBE OUR DOLLAR might actually be RESPECTED BY ALL....cause they know with ONE wrong MOVE we will take it AWAY. Its CLEAR, now more than ever why EVERY RACE plays with US... Cause all WERE going to do is THIS.... Type and Complain.... But to ACTUALLY see results Y'all are RIGHT, we are NOT our ancestors. They ACTUALLY got ish DONE. Here's to complaining with ZERO REAL ACTION. PROTESTING ain't action that effects ISH. ALL PPL CARE ABOUT OS MONEY AND WE SPEND IT more freely than any other race..... Yet our dollar is the LEAST respected.... Smh.... As much as I love US, US today ain't ISH. I wish my ancestors were here....cause then maybe just maybe we'd be better forward. KEITH LEE had to tell y'all...that's just sad.

[@showtime1235]

so because it’s a black owned business he can’t critique them?… cmon yall

[@bereaboy]

I often feel the rudeness and disrespect I get from other black people acts a message that I am not better than them because I'm patronizing the place of business instead of working there. There's a level of insecurity underpinning the interaction.

[@Cnichal]

Oh I never thought of that, 😮 but it definitely resonates!

[@RAJOHN-ke7mc]

Bingo

[@CharloGreeneOfficial]

That part

[@julieblair7472]

This is absolutely it!!!!

[@littleleah310]

Exactly

[@starrynyte158]

I am a white woman who works in a nail salon owned and run by people of color in NYC. Its very diverse and so is our clientele. Im a apprentice, so much of my day is taken up greeting clients, taking their coats, getting drinks, getting them prepped for services and every so often I do notice this look of surprise when I help a client with their coat and it is always from black women and men. I do my best to pretend I don't notice their reaction and go about business as usual, but at 1st it kinda broke my heart when I realized they were a tiny bit shocked that a white woman was was so happy to serve them the way we do for everyone. I could be reading the situation wrong, but after watching this, I am beginning to think they were bracing for poor service in general and were maybe shocked on multiple levels lol!

[@Erica-cf1xb]

They were shocked you were not the owner, but rather be visible serving people. The way you are starting is a good experience. Observe and don't absorb. Keep the good qualities about you pure and the real you will naturally shine.

[@danni1013]

I live in nyc and as a black girl Ive yet to see a nail salon owned by black women. It's usually Asian or Dominican. Please name the salon so I can stop by!

[@lesaubergines]

Aw man well at least you’re there to show people what kind of service they deserve ❤

[@thecamillarose9806]

@starrynyte158 @danni1013 I hope she eventually tells you

[@GDL364]

@@danni1013she didn’t say it was Black owned she said it’s owned by “people of color”

[@Hopeskyesk]

I’m white and I’ve worked in the restaurant industry for over 7 years - obviously I know that this situation doesn’t involve me for the most part but when you talked about “black people tend to tip less” it just made me want to share my 2 cents. I remember when I first started serving, I was told by multiple coworkers of all races that black people don’t tip. I remember when black people would get sat in some of their sections they would moan and groan about not wanting to serve them, then when they’d get tipped poorly they’d use that as “proof” that they were right to not want to serve them. I don’t mean for this to come off like “white savior” behavior or anything like that, but I remember immediately clocking that as super weird behavior. I remember in the beginning of my serving career after having those interactions with my coworkers, if black people would be seated in my section, I would actively remember how off-putting I found my coworkers attitudes toward them. No matter the race/ethnicity of the people sitting in my section, I treat everyone the same, and I do my very best work every time because I WANT A GOOD TIP. If you go into a situation expecting not to get tipped, you’re not going to give good service and in my opinion, if you don’t give good service, the bad tip is justified!!! I never want to give any of my customers a reason to justify giving me a bad tip, so I give every single person the exact same service that I would give anyone else. I’ve gotten bad tips and even $0 tips from every. Single. Race. If I treated every race poorly based on if someone else from that same race had tipped me badly before, I would give EVERYONE bad service. Bottom line is don’t go into the service industry if you have any sort of prejudice toward any group of people because you’re only gonna make yourself look like a racist moron.

[@ronmastrio2798]

You're probably the only one who hasn't been tipped less. Most of that "prejudice" is form experience not ignorance.

[@ebenaebekoe3460]

​@ronmastrio2798 no it is intentional bigotry from your own ideas enabling a cause and effect

[@cubesolver2564]

​@@ronmastrio2798 Do keep in mind that "tipping" is executed in a very weird way in America. Instead of tipping acting as a supplemental reward for those going above and beyond, it's mostly used as a coercive tool to make workers desperately behave themselves for a *chance* to make a living wage within a shift. Worst case scenario, the tips don't actually go to those you see providing service. By not tipping as a customer, you might get the ire of the underpaid/overworked worker. Even if you believe that they shouldn't be paid so little that they have to rely on tips, and refuse to engage in tipping culture while also maintaining a basic level of kindness and respect for the workers, you could be interpreted as an entitled customer who thinks good service is not to be compensated for. By not being tipped as a worker, you have a reason to dislike a customer, despite the fact that they're not the major contributor as to why you are being underpaid to the point where you must depend on receiving tips to even possibly get fair compensation for your (likely excessive) labor. The people more at fault are probably those who determine your paycheck, and the people above them in the corporate ladder who take bigger shares of the company's profits (seemingly ignoring/ensuring that the many of the people who provide most of the revenue are being exploited). As a result, customers and workers develop growing hate for each other, service gets worse out of both justified anger and misguided spite, and the ever worsening reviews makes it very hard for any person to believe the service being provided is worth tipping for. Workers are then punished for their anger by management and told to suck it up and "be nice" if they want to be tipped, which is only going to make them more frustrated. Customers then receive and reciprocate the frustrated, entitled attitudes, and may even go out of their way to vandalize or harm those providing service that isn't up to their (likely unrealistic) expectations.

[@_-FreePalestine-_]

​@@cubesolver2564I agree. Tipping culture in America is so toxic and everyone still abides by them. No one should be forced to give a tip.

[@shirin8609]

@ronmastrio2798 Please read comments prior to responding. OP said they've gotten bad tips from people of all races.

[@destined2bebossy]

As a black woman who has dealt with the "Popeyes effect" I always make sure to treat my fellow black folks extra kind when I work.

[@KamBB-gu3pv]

That’s not how they act tho. Most of the time, just keeping it real

[@melodramatic7904]

It's fine to give people in the service industry some grace, but there's a limit.

[@lunkee6972]

Do you want a medal?

[@Lilbbird]

Treat everyone equally

[@Winter-Alpha-Omega]

What's the Popeye's effect?

[@corimyers4985]

I am a black business owner and not in the restaurant industry. This mistreatment of black people in black owned businesses filters over to other sectors. Black people rarely if ever order from me, and I know it’s an extreme level of distrust and bad expectations. I am accessories and clothing retail for women gamers and geeks and anime nerds. White people who know I’m black order from me regularly, but after Black Panther, I witnessed with my own eyes people complaining there were no retail outlets selling BP merch. I had gorgeous handbags, wallets and clothing licensed from Marvel and shared in a black group, one of the ones complaining specifically. Not. One. Person. Ordered. They immediately stopped talking about it for a while but no orders. And I give excellent service, above and beyond every time. We as black folk have a distrust of other black people and assume the worst, even when it’s subconscious, I just don’t get it. Even amongst friends, I’ve had none of my black friends order from me, meanwhile white friends have been repeat customers. It’s so disheartening. Don’t know what I can do to change that.

[@urgandma]

It'll only change if the majority of the black community changes. In the same way these black businesses treat their customers badly (due to experiencing waaaaaay too many bad customers), black customers treat black businesses badly because they've had too many bad experiences. You only fix it, BY FIXING IT.

[@corimyers4985]

@@urgandma Agree and disagree. White-owned businesses don't treat white customers bad because they've had bad white customers. We have to stop attaching black to customers. Bad customers are just bad customers. But I agree, the community is where we'll need to start. What I mean by not knowing what to do to fix it is, I personally do all I can to give a great experience. Doesn't change anything for me though. But I love my customers so I will continue to give that great experience. And hope one day it'll start a ripple.

[@goeienacht]

⁠​⁠@@corimyers4985and that’s where the lack of intersectional context comes into play. This isn’t the forum for the hippies and delusional to pop in with “we all bleed the same/I don’t see color” logic. Black customers and white customers are not equidistant from all aspects of going out to eat, statistically and socially from a service/food business standpoint; nor are black-owned businesses’ and non-black owned businesses’ experiences. This isn’t a black and white issue, in both senses.

[@Annabellethedoll666]

What’s your business website? I’ll love to order from you❤

[@corimyers4985]

@@Annabellethedoll666 Looks like I cannot post here sorry! No disrespect intended toward channel host.

[@backseatxbroadcast]

Filipino-American here and some of the worst customers I’ve ever had when I worked in service/hospitality came from other Filipinos-but they had no problem being nice and respectful when a white service provider was present. I was recently in The Philippines and there were some instances where it was the other way around where I was the customer (I also have a brown complexion and I feel that has some weight there), but the moment they hear an American accent from me, they turn up the maamsir all the way to 100 and go above and beyond.

[@thegoodwitchluzura]

Me and my mom are both Filipino, and we’ve experienced the complete opposite of this, though in hindsight, it might be because we live in Canada. Filipinos who work in supermarkets or restaurants are so nice to us, almost to a fault. We’ve even experienced what my mom likes to call the “Filipino discount”.

[@sarahtaylor546]

I was once told I wasn’t allowed to sit until my friend arrived, in an empty cafe. I said I’d order something whilst I waited but still no! Needless to say that place is no longer in business. People always remember how you made them feel.

[@VanessaDownen]

As a food service worker, serving someone your own race can be summed up as a "oh, it's you." type of feeling/attitude. Everyone should prioritize good service no matter who's being served, a little kindness goes a long way.

[@PrincessRhys394]

True, I had one shift at McDonald’s before I just left. I was a young 19 year old kid (with no life experience period), white people, specifically people my parents age, so people now in their 50’s (Gen X), were the rudest people to me that whole shift. A middle aged white dude yelled at me because I made his coffee wrong, I hadn’t even been taught how to do that yet. So, yeah, your own race treats you the worst. For no reason other than their own ignorance and entitlement. I, legitimately, can’t stand Gen Xers now. A lot of them are rude inconsiderate jackasses. Particularly the white ones. It’s not all of them, just the rude ones I have the displeasure of interacting with.

[@applejellypucci]

Only we do this to each other. Ridiculous.

[@prettynpetty8342]

That's exactly what it feels like.

[@mattk8810]

Or maybe Black servers also see the issue with certain behaviour types

[@lay-2356]

why is america like this

[@Jayb2428]

I’ve been saying this for soooooo long, and whenever I do, I’m called antiBlack. It’s time for black woman to demand more from these hairstylists and black people to demand better quality in our communities.

[@teenageenaballerina8350]

I agree with you 1000 percent! I went natural 10 years ago to avoid the foolishness I’ve endured at black-owned salons over the years. Recently I bit the bullet and found a salon because I needed a good cut. And this new stylist did a wonderful job - she wasn’t even very expensive. But I was there for 5+ hours (while she juggled working on me and 3 other clients) and the place was not clean. This is considered normal. Why?

[@prestigequick]

facts

[@5050TM]

Right? We been knew. No one listened the entire time we pointed this out. Be kind to your fellow people. Especially if we're trying to appreciate your business and become repeat customers. I do my own type 4 hair now because I was so tired of being degraded and upcharged in the salon growing up and into my 20s!

[@Vante21]

not the hairstylist lol them rules be so crazy lol

[@wildling3034]

When the female African immigrants start to move to these cities and open up hair businesses, they'll shape up

[@TurinTurambar200]

The note on expected familiarity leading to unprofessionalism is very on point, and definitely extends beyond the service sector. I was a public school teacher, and the highschool sometimes held student/staff forums on PD days. During one of these, a few black teachers raised the question of why it feels like our student base (99% black or brown) were better behaved and less defiant in the rooms of white teachers compared to theirs. One of the student responded that they expected black teachers to know them better, and thus let them get away with more.

[@DrawciaGleam02]

Isn't there a saying "familiarity breeds contempt?"

[@_khen__]

14:38 "However, I think that same familiarity can blur boundaries when it comes to professionalism." you dropped a gem

[@CaulkMongler]

It is not inherently anti-black to discuss (certain) black-owned businesses having a trend of treating non-black customers better than black customers, or using their blackness as a shield against fair critiques.

[@meat3958]

Oh goodness no, calling out poor business practices to an entire group of your customer base or fostering an environment in which your employees are unhappy, upset, angry, and feeling dejected to the point they have bad days at work *should* be talked about, it would be the opposite of okay if we all just turned our heads in the other direction as fellow humans and allowed black customers to be treated so poorly, even if the people who are treating them poorly are also black. Treating an entire portion of the people who buy from you or people in general poorly or with genuine racism is not okay and hopefully having this discussion openly helps businesses open their eyes some to the way their customers and employees are being treated

[@kielanENmiles]

It works both ways tho. Blacks sometimes dress and behave in ways unbecoming, which might necessitate dress codes. This causes those who have to enforce the rules to get a chip on the shoulder and business and customer clash. As a black man I feel a lot of us glory hood life which against good business. The problem is the owners, employees and customers all still have a hood mentality and view other blacks as a problem to some degree.

[@datekaname2246]

​@@kielanENmiles blacks? Lmao no actual black person refers to us as blacks. Nice job using one of most obvious sigifiers to out yourself as a larper.

[@animezae]

@@datekaname2246lmfao this!! Who tf has said “the Blacks” but colonizers 😂😂😂

[@S3lkie-Gutz]

@@datekaname2246 this. Spotted the colonizer ☕️

[@herrlichee1713]

I am biracial with thick and curly hair. I have had a few black stylists over the years, and they always leave me loving my hair, but it’s the experience in the chair. “Be quiet, it doesn’t hurt.” “You aren’t that tender headed.” And so much more. They will yank the hell out of my hair and take chunks out and I am just told to “suck it up.” I ended up stopping getting my hair done for a while til I found a stylist that doesn’t yank and pull, or jerk my head around.

[@n1rvana_]

Yeah. Some thinnk ur a babydoll to where she can make the braids as tight as humanly possible

[@max_robinson__]

one thing about most of these 'stylists' is THEY'RE MOST LIKELY NOT LICENSED.

[@njmoonfrost6145]

My brother has thick curly hair while I had thick straight hair. Our mom had the same hair as my brother. She NEVER said that bs to me if she was a little too rough with me. One of her sisters did my hair and oh god I was in tears. It was so damn painful. She told me to stop crying. “You’re not tender head.” I never seen my mom turn on her sister so fast in my life. Now my hair is just really short lol. I’m glade you were able to find someone that treated you with basic respect

[@Rose_Castle]

​@@n1rvana_I had hair extensions once and it made me realise how white I am. This LOVELY Senegalese lady never tugged my hair, was so nice with it. But black girls must have scalps of STEEL because this hair was braided in so tight I actually had a headache for TWO days. She had offered a really good deal to tighten them back up, but I was like... bless you... but please take them out of me. I would never survive, my head is so tender I get sore just thinking about it.

[@cliffwood7386]

I'm a white resident of Atlanta, and watching this video honestly made me flash back to when I got lunch today. I was getting a sandwich at Publix, and when the customers ahead of me were ordering they came off as somewhat rude/demanding, and the workers behind the counter were really giving the bare minimum and mostly were mumbling conversations to each other instead of interacting with the customers. Then when I got up to order it was totally different - we were both smiling, all "sir/maam please and thank you," cracking jokes with each other. I just chalked it up to a rude customer and didn't dwell on it, but this video brought it right back to the front of my mind. The sandwich line at Publix always seems really slow (to the point I rarely go even though the location is convenient), and is primarily black customers and black employees. I don't really have anywhere to stand in this obviously, beyond believing black customerrs and employees deserve to be treated with respect and kindness, and I hope good will come of this idea.

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

That's the other half of this conversation: black customers can be just as nasty as black service employees. It's like an accelerating feedback loop of surlyness.

[@xoseanaxo5538]

@@BiggieTrismegistusyes

[@macaroo90]

Piedmont Publix?

[@cangie6623]

​@@BiggieTrismegistus people tend to be less rude in establishments that prioritize customer service- and it's the employees that cultivate that environment. everyone has their own things going, and some people are gonna come in being awful, but if a customer is being exceptionally rude, disrespectful, threatening, abusive, etc, then refuse service. when you're getting paid to do a job, there's no excuse to treat an entire race of people poorly because you've had bad experiences with people that just so happen to share a similar skin color. if a white person said/did the same thing there would be hell to pay. hold whatever beliefs you want- but don't let it impact how you behave in your job.

[@ronmastrio2798]

@@cangie6623 It's one thing to say that it's another thing entirely to see the same assholes every day.

[@music_YT2023]

After I moved, I couldn't find a stylist in time and just booked a salon nearest to me that said they could handle curly hair. I asked if I needed to wash AND blowout my hair before I got there or just wash it, and the receptionist was aghast and said, "we can do that for you, no worries. Just come as you are." I just sat for a moment... like, have I been gaslit into thinking all those rules were normal?

[@BlueMagic334]

I worked at Popeyes as a teenager. It was my first job. I was so bubbly. A customer told me it was refreshing to see somebody work in a Popeyes so happy to serve. I left Popeyes 6 months later and went to college. Everyone was sooo negative there.

[@AngryCosmonaut]

As a white person I went out to eat once with 3 black and brown friends to a black owned BBQ restaurant. It was the most awkward meal experience I've ever had, my friends were treated terribly by the black waitress, both verbally and with her attitude, but I was given the VIP treatment. It felt so awkward, I just wanted to slide under the table and hide, and the ride back to my friend's place wasn't any less awkward. Crazy part was that she expected me to leave a big tip since she was so nice to me (not a chance!). This was in Idaho, not the south btw. 20 years later me and the friend I'm still close with still make jokes about that food run, but I didn't think that this situation was one that occurs semi-regularly. I was going to say regularly, but that didn't feel quite right since my sample size is 1 black-owned restaurant visit with 1 group of friends (not a lot of black people up in Idaho then, let alone black owned restaurants).

[@HH-mr3iq]

Yeah, the waitress wanted your money...! She didn't think the POCs would have any. A great example of internalized racism. Thanks for your comment.

[@SzechuanChicken]

Oop its not often I see someone else from Idaho

[@jl6569]

It’s definitely not a black person thing. My girlfriend is Chinese and the way Chinese food staff treat other Chinese people is wild sometimes. They will argue about food quality argue about tips and just generally be rude. Not sure why it happens.

[@solitarelee6200]

@@jl6569 Oh my god, yeah, now that you mention it, you're right. The local Chinese restaurant's lady manager is way more polite to me than she is to my Chinese friend. I mean, it's nice that she feels like she can be more casual/less stiff with my friend, but it's also pretty clear my friend would much prefer she stick to stiff and not make off-color jokes about their weight (I am literally SO much fatter and standing RIGHT there).

[@Badmanpuntbaxter]

Heyo, also from Idaho, that's fascinating. The town where I'm in has a very large migrant community of Mexicans and they all support each other so much, to the point that many of my friends say "we all know each other" (we're not a big town but this is certainly a feat). I wonder what the difference is there, when my Mexican/Hispanic friends patronize any Mexican/Hispanic owned business here, they are given a red carpet treatment vs. your experience with this Black owned BBQ joint.

[@earsybun]

the Popeye's in my "bad" neighborhood is inconsistent, the employees are rude and intimidating, and they ALWAYS forget sauce. the one ten minutes away in the whiter part of town has always been amazing and even gives me free biscuits for my dog whenever I order in the drive-thru.

[@ussliberty109]

Similar experience in a Midwestern city, former GM town. Same mix of employee makeup but judging from the plexiglass with a porthole at one of them, I'd say that one gets robbed considerably more. I'll let you guess which one treats people normally.

[@earsybun]

@@ussliberty109 we could very likely be talking about the same place, I'm also in the midwest in a former GM town (how many of those exist anyway?)

[@giannakisxatzigiannis1394]

I'm a Greek guy living in the Mediterranean sea, never been to Atlanta, not even USA. Good job on making this video so interesting with your editing and commentary.

[@HlootooThunderhammer]

Tell Poseidon I said hi

[@valeriag9443]

This reminds me of how I (Mexican and American person) was treated at a “nice” resort in Puerto Vallarta. Literally the worst place I’ve been treated for being Mexican was in a resort in Mexico!!! Where I saw white people being treated really well (but really anyone speaking English)

[@MoMo-rx4zr]

lol English speaking Indians are even worse. They’ll push locals out of areas if they deem them to be “embarrassing” but insult North Americans (CAN and US) to act like they don’t have a colonized mentality while worshipping Europeans (especially British and French who are the ones that actually colonized us 🤦🏽‍♀️) Even if you do speak english,there was a restaurant turning people away for wearing traditional sarees instead of “smart dress” (the hostess was wearing freaking jeans)

[@Shay416]

Haha. We say the same thing when we visit in Jamaica

[@LunaFairytale]

Same thing to arubans in aruba 😒

[@valeriag9443]

@@Shay416 ugh that sucks, and what really pissed me off is that in Cancun we get treated like everyone else so it must have been a regional thing. Is that the same for you?

[@ArlecchinoAKAFather]

You should have turned up the American side of you. People in developing countries treat Americans better because they think we all have money 😅

[@_MrsPuff]

We have to hold our black businesses at the same standard as any other business. We deserve so much better for ourselves.

[@karouselferris2296]

This!! You hit the nail on the head.

[@akirathedog777]

Bro.....stop harrasing underpaid service workers....

[@_MrsPuff]

@@akirathedog777 Exactly, we shouldn’t do that either

[@blaknificent09]

Not only hold them accountable as you would other businesses. But don't except a discount simply because their black owned. If black consumers don't except a 'hookup' from a big business don't except it from a small or black business.

[@forresthunt9573]

​@akirathedog777 It's not harassment to expect common fucking decency. You can be pissed that you're being paid nothing at a dead end job with no hope of a raise, bonus, or promotion. But keep it to your fucking self.

[@user-kg5fw9rr8l]

This was a great video. Surprised you didn't mention Caribbean restaraunt. There are so many memes that are like "if the cashier doesn't seem irritated you are there then I don't want it."

[@MegaDiva1999]

😂😂😂😂😂😂This!

[@HoneyAmiel]

Yeah. It’s like damn they are so impatient and treating us like shit and we genuinely want to be there to support them and eat their food. We are putting up with their rudeness because we love what they offer. If we are that loyal we should be treated better

[@BohemianBabyonBudget]

New Yorker here. Many things resonate for me in this video, but when I find a salient gem of a black-owned business, I must shout it from the rooftops: I found a Natural Hair Salon in northwest Harlem that is EXCELLENT. Appointments, timely, dedicated stylist with you practically the whole time, updated and modern paying and tipping system. Not Cheap! But worth my hour+ subway ride up there. Before the pandemic, they used to provide complimentary coffee and tea. SO professional. And consistently so, every time. Pleasant at the door with quality customer service behaviour.

[@MegaDiva1999]

Beautiful testimonial. I drive 2 hours to my natural hair and nail technician for the same reason. They also throw in herbal tea, mineral water, light snacks and warm welcoming smiles every time ❤

[@SorceressHeart]

Mind sharing the name? I am in desperate need of a trustworthy salon

[@sparklemotion8377]

I am Moroccan in the Netherlands, and nobody treats me worse than my own people when it comes to customer service. They think you can't accuse them of racism because they are Muslim too, but people can still be rude and indifferent. It's especially disturbing when you see them being friendly to native Dutch and then look at me like something stuck on their shoe. When I talk to people about it they relate. Even when I called customer service of the Lidl about it they said that they hear it often. When a business attracts native Dutch people, they don't even want to bother with their own people. Just like misogyny by women I wish people would talk more about their self-hatred and how we make colonialism and exploitation so easy.

[@AbaitheyBeauty]

Woooow

[@hbmdn4970]

The same thing could be said here in Morocco. As a moroccan, you are treated so poorly by your own ppl compared to white ppl/tourists. You can definitely feel the belittlement in other cities, but it's ESPECIALLY EVIDENT in bigger cities or cities that attracts tourists. As a moroccan, the worst I've been treated in my own country was by my own ppl in Marrakech. So sad.

[@afemaie4130]

It’s all over Africa. Disgusting. That’s the same mentally that existed and made slave trade as successful as it was. If Africans held each other to a high standard they would not have been selling each other like chattel and even selling to foreigners. There’s truly nothing new under the son. This is a behavior that I keep saying needs to be studied.

[@KtotheG]

So self-hatred is worldwide... makes sense.

[@sparklemotion8377]

@@hbmdn4970 Tell me about it! At least in Morocco they use the excuse of making more money from tourists but when everybody pays the same in the Netherlands and you are just working the cash register or stocking shelves in the supermarket?! It's just self-hatred I have looked around most tourists are Moroccans and foreigners have learned to haggle better than I ever did.

[@justapersonwithlungs]

This is Lowkey true! I also feel like some black owned businesses treat me like I’m their best friend in the sense that they don’t care to give me customer service. Like having a regular family member that always comes over so it’s like make your own damn plate vibes lmao.

[@Cnichal]

😂 This!

[@alliwishis_2]

I always basically thought that this was the "special customer treatment " in itself

[@Speakup117]

​@@alliwishis_2that's them gas lighting u. The real yt experience is sit back and relax

[@justapersonwithlungs]

@@Speakup117 😭😭😭

[@alliwishis_2]

@@Speakup117 I don't know I hear you but I really still super free and relax knowing that they still accept me as me when I walk into their zone and space as a new fresh face.. but make no mistake is there are a lot of places both black and white that you truly know that you messed up going into their space.. it's just like in the movie Life with Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy when they both walked into the restaurant scene Trust me I get that quite a bit in some black owned stores and haircut shops [ AND yeah I get it just like in California there are many places that have the right to refuse service to you I get that I understand that my and take on that is "Less is MORE " just like in the movie Life the ending of the restaurant scene ]

[@dustinstelly6518]

I moved to Atlanta about a year ago and I have been shocked at the customer service at a lot of businesses. I don't feel like it's something I'm allowed to talk about because I am a white person that chose to move to a majority African American community, but this video just validated all of the experiences I've been having. Many times I've walked out of a business and wondered if I was treated that way because I'm white and not welcome there, so it is refreshing to hear that it's not just me that's getting this poor service. At one of the first restaurants we went to I was aggressively told to read the house rules, which were almost all about not fighting. Then we were sat on the patio next to bags of a mosquito repellent that smelled so bad we were gagging. We ended up leaving the business before ordering food wondering if they sat us there as a way to get us to leave. What I experience often at fast food and casual dining is employees don't make eye contact and are non verbal. Like at a drive through, they open the window, stick their hand out for payment, take it without a word, hand you your food, then close the window without ever turning their face toward you or even indicating whether that's my entire order and I'm good to go. I've also been to a Chipotle in Camp Creek and gone all the way through making my order and picking my ingredients and paying without the employee ever looking at my face or speaking a single word. Sure the burrito tasted good, but it was a very awkward experience. I've also made appointments to get my hair cut at a barbershop online and when I got there they couldn't find my appointment, and after I showed it to them on my phone they had me sit there and wait until I gave up and left. I also walked out of an optometrist who left me in the lobby for 90 minutes. I've been wearing glasses since 2nd grade and have never in my life waited more than 10 minutes to get into my scheduled eye exam. They had printed out signs to hang up all over the lobby saying they were sorry for the delays, indicating that this is how they run their business every single day. The disrespect of your customer's time because you can't figure out how to make and keep appointments is just crazy to me, I don't know how a business can survive like that.

[@Edwardsjm]

You give black businesses wayyyyyy too much of your time dude , u ain't learned ur lesson yet?

[@sternshadowdude2]

You don't feel like you can talk about bad experiences because you're white? Grow some balls dude.

[@Cydagy]

As a black women who’s worked in the restaurant industry since I was a teenager, I can say I’ve definitely felt almost every different aspect of this convo 😭. My first job was at a black owned BBQ restaurant and the customers were predominantly black. The element of familiarity definitely affected the customer’s treatment of me, with a lot having that auntie/unc vibe and being extra kind towards me while others expected special treatment or some type of free service just because. If something went wrong a lot of people were quick to pull out the “I try to support black businesses but-“ line lol. The management there encouraged some of that behavior and had lots of issues in general. The next two restaurants I worked at were white owned and Korean owned, and I had mostly positive interactions at both compared to my first job. At the Korean owned restaurant, my boss would consistently be kinder and more giving to any other Korean speaker, which I feel is an interesting comparison given the overall discourse. The next restaurant I worked at was also black owned, but wasn’t pushed as such so I don’t believe the majority of the GP knew that. The customer base was a pretty even mix between white and black and I also had overall good interactions with that group. The customers who did occasionally ask if the business was black owned were pretty much always black themselves, and were always happy to hear that was the case and usually tipped after. I’d also hear from black customers how stank most workers attitudes are and they’re glad I’m positive or something along those lines when complimenting me 😂. All of this to say I think the environment itself can definitely affect the approach from worker to customer just as the video mentioned. I’d like to think I treat every customer equally and have way more positive interactions with customers than anything, but there’s always room to examine any personal biases and grow from that. I have definitely noticed that white people do tend to tip higher more often, but I don’t see that as any reason to give black customers any worse service. So yeah just rambling but that’s my personal experience on the matter lol!

[@halliadams5987]

Thanks for the comment! I just wanted to add that Black people usually earn much less $$ than their white counterparts. That could be why they tip less. Ijs.🤔

[@bearythebear69]

I’m Mexican and one time me and my little brother went to Popeyes because he wanted chicken from there. We ordered through drive-thru and the window lady literally threw the food at us and slammed the window door 😭. We weren’t rude at all we ordered and it was so straight forward. Also I used to work at Popeyes and still work in food customer service so I would never be rude to an employee that works in customer service.

[@DannyBoiComedy]

To be fair that is actually how you treat customers in the Popeye employee handbook 🤷🏽

[@daniruiz192]

@@DannyBoiComedyas a fellow Mexican that goes to Popeyes a good amount you aren't wrong they hate anyone that's there to order food💀

[@shadybrooks8174]

​@@daniruiz192They do...acting like they're doing you a favor😂😂😂

[@KtotheG]

That's why they keep getting beat up at Popeyes and other fast food restaurants... some nasty people work there

[@Dr.FinbarrCalamitous]

They hate doing the smallest things at Popeyes at all locations I’ve been to but one!!

[@lo-dee]

Someone give this girl a massive grant so she can do the needed social studies! So interesting! As a comm major I appreciate your channel!

[@jairesemccoy9779]

You do it.

[@pria7538]

@@jairesemccoy9779 That’s another problem with ignorant people…they don’t read and cannot comprehend. While a grant is a gift that does not have to be paid back, it sometimes requires a qualified grant writer to complete and sometimes a non-profit or targeted recipient to qualify. Now if she would have said “Somebody start a GoFundMe” THEN your response would have been applicable. See how that works? Reading and comprehension are friends.

[@lenforstell1139]

LOL yes then if the study doesn’t give the “desired result”, refute it and call it racist propaganda, like black-on-black murder rates.

[@finneserrr]

@@jairesemccoy9779you a hater

[@QuinnGIn1080p]

@@finneserrr Never said that she didn't deserve one, just said that the person commenting should make themselves the "someone" rather than just saying that someone should do it. You're quick to jump to conclusions.

[@gregd4633]

This young lady needs more subscribers, because she did a tremendous job on this project. Very detailed data with subscription links so it’s easy for us to find on the internet. Very informative and helpful video on a tough topic, I’m a black business owner myself looking for ways to improve my customer service skills. I’m going to share this video with my employees, because this great content for my new hires

[@minermortal1997]

It’s funny I was recommended this it was quite interesting. I’m a white British guy, I visited Atlanta at the start of this year on a solo trip and went to a number of black owned food establishments. I didn’t have any bad experiences so it’s surprising to learn about this topic. Thanks for educating me

[@javonicasapp1203]

I'm black owned bridal business. I currently have a 5 stars on Yelp. I always uphold professionalism to my best ability. I truly have a diverse set of customers. I equally serve about the same amount of blacks, whites, latinos, and Asians. Been in business 10 years, and my black customers are the only who give issues(not all black customers). Because I'm professional, I don't get an attitude back with them and I usually suck it up until transaction is done. My black customers are usually late. Being late can be an issue in an appointment based business. Owning a bridal business, I can't have food and drinks inside my shop, but only my black customers think its appropriate to show up with a box of chicken or greasy bag of McDonald's and they bring their unruly children to run wild. I hate the idea of giving a long list rules, I keep my rules simple.Usually businesses have all these rules due to horrible past experiences. Its a two way street: Black businesses HAVE to do better in their customer service and Black customers need to work on their behavior as well.

[@KtotheG]

How was Keith Lee rude? This is called gaslighting what you're doing here.

[@smithmarina970]

Shes saying, respect needs to be given on both ends, how is that gaslighting?

[@cristyluv1205]

😹…. ✋🏽… wait. Not boxes of chicken AND children?! Please tell me you’re joking. But then again 🤔….. never mind

[@cristyluv1205]

⁠@@KtotheGI think you should look up the meanings of words before you try to use them in a sentence.

[@KtotheG]

@@cristyluv1205 I think you should accept the great point that I made and bow down to your majesty.

[@veronica-wolfmaiden5383]

Ive always had negative experiences getting my hair braided. My hair was always "too short" or they would braid so tight that my roots would get damaged or I am "too tender headed". As a teen I just left my hair alone and now that I am older and I have learned natural ways to take care of my hair. I just set it in twists and leave it alone.

[@rejectionisprotection4448]

Wow, my experience exactly.

[@bunnybug7668]

I had this experience too, not to mention I feel like I pay 100-200 to get bullied for my natural hair coming in. I've been trying so many hair salons, and I just no longer know what to do. I'm don't want to deal with the rudeness, or cruelty but I also was never taught how to do my hair because I had it straighten since I was young cause my family saw black hair as nappy(?) Idk... I feel so lost.

[@cristyluv1205]

Maybe it’s these new age “stylists”. I’m so glad my days of going to the salon are now capped at only about 4 times a year.

[@bamafencer12]

For awhile I went to white salons and honestly it was a refreshing experience. They had an appointment system that was flawless, always on time, never had anything rude to say, oh and they weren't scissor happy to cut your hair too short. Maybe some of us needs to stop going to these black salons.

[@TheBraveBlaze]

I spent over a decade doing technical work in black owned businesses and entertainment sector work, and it burned me out bad. I really believed that if I just provided the same level of service universally that it would uplift my local sector, but I was not given that same in return after a while. I realized at some point I was being overtly demanded to personally subsidize other people's lack of foresight, resources, and decision making, and being treated like I should be grateful for the opportunity. Really messed up mindset. Virtually everything you highlighted was present in my experience, and it's a serious thing we need to deal with.

[@scootergirl3662]

I have a lot of respect for KZbinrs that address difficult conversations that don’t fit clearly into the “social justice” or “anti-wokeness” box, so they risk heavy shit from all sides

[@14clorinda]

I’m tired of discussion of problems within the blk community being labeled as anti-blk. I worked customer service for 6 yrs and some of the rudest, most condescending,entitled customers have been blk. It was like they got off on being rude. I have also received atrocious customer service from service workers who are Blk. We need do better as a community.

[@PHlophe]

but we are saying it goes both ways and explaining why the onus is on the service provider if you ain't being abused.

[@karouselferris2296]

@14clorinda I completely agree. I think the ones who are calling a conversation about conduct “Anti-Black”, are most likely the same people executing poor behavior and acting up. The conversations we’re having is holding people accountable, and if you’re offended by accountability, then you’re probably the problem.

[@NeonHelix20]

I feel like blk ppl r so used to hearing about themselves in a victim narrative that when anything other than praise and celebration is brought up (understandably to try and combat how poorly blk ppl r sometimes treated in this country), they become defensive and feel we r beyond reproach. Like 2 things can be true at once.

[@allaboutthemurzic]

This idea that race is a factor in who can criticize or who can be criticized needs to stop If youre on bullshit skin color doesnt matter the bullshit needs to be pointed out and Keith doing that

[@iateyursandwiches]

But that is anti black...boths that it happens, it's anti blackness. I bet you most of those rude customers are only that way to black servers most of the time. Anyway, a lot of that goes into poor home training for a lot of black people too. Unfortunately, not all of us have a family support system that raises us with the concept of professional behavior.

[@jadoreledecor]

I’m a black business owner and naturally, the majority of my clients are also black. One thing I pride myself on is giving ALL of my clients the absolute BEST experience possible. I love it when my clients feel respected and honored. Unfortunately, not all businesses operate this way and it’s so sad. That’s why I only give my money to business owners who honor their clients/customers the same way that I honor mine. My hair stylist is on time, organized (she actually has systems in place) and professional. My workout trainers are the same. The same goes for for nail care and anything else. No smile, No professional attitude, No money from my pocket. Periodt.

[@rachaelrand]

Hi I’m a white lady but I feel like a Black person should write some standards for how Black business owners should treat their clients, and then keep a list of all the businesses that vow to abide by those standards, so within the community there’s a stamp of approval, kinda. So everyone who is sick of people playing around knows places where they can go and get good service!

[@jadoreledecor]

@@rachaelrand It’s not my place to set “standards” for others. But word of mouth has worked for centuries. Why people these days don’t use it boggles my mind,

[@yqq]

And I'd be willing to bet that it goes both ways, they see the way you treat them and they act in kind.

[@elea7771]

I’m Black. I’m a therapist. I’m the same. I’ll pay more for better service and customer service or I won’t engage at all.

[@jeanthebeanqueen]

I'm so happy this just popped up in my recommended! I've been looking for more creators who make thoughtful video essays and I am over the moon having found you! Now to completely procrastinate my work so I can binge watch everything you've ever made

[@T8rB]

This video was really good, I followed the Atlanta restaurant stuff but never really thought about it further. Thanks for putting it together and exploring the context surrounding it

[@aj2thamaxx742]

Love video, I appreciate the fact that you pointed out that Black folks are not immune to anti-Blackness. Especially in the Black business sector, many of us need to reckoned with the fact that we buy into the racial hierarchy. IMO, this is why people had such a visceral reaction to Keith Lee’s critiques even though I found them to be very gentle and light handed. Some people felt attacked because people in their own community were critiquing their work. This is why we also need to do anti-Blackness work to become better community members.

[@Winter-Alpha-Omega]

I'm not a black-skinned person from the United States, but it strikes me whenever I watch these types of videos that people born in this part of the world are marred by problems and many of them come from the group itself. I was shocked to learn the oreo thing. Like it feels like some individuals are envious of others' success and want to gatekeep who is a member of the group and who is not. And then there is this. That's why the political war right now in the United States makes 0 sense to me. People are complex. Some members of your own group will support and love you, some will try to keep you in the same toxic headspace, I guess.

[@cristyluv1205]

I was HOLLERING at the some of the responses these restaurant owners were putting out in response to KL. Literal 💀 threats. Lol, I swear BP are a dysfunctional, illogical group.

[@aj2thamaxx742]

@@cristyluv1205 yeah, the 💀 threats were definitely unnecessary and unwarranted. KL and his family didn’t deserve that. There was literally no justification for the online bullying and harassment they faced.

[@PrettyPrincess9609]

I’m so glad these restaurants are finally being held accountable. I’m tired of them getting away with terrible customer service and sometimes even bad food. It’s crazy how they resorted to threatening Keith Lee instead of holding themselves accountable and working on treating their customers right. Praying for Keith and his family. 🙏🏿

[@cristyluv1205]

That’s what BP do. I’ve never heard of a James Beard level critic being threatened. It’s the most illogical 💩 I’ve ever heard.

[@zachklieman2141]

At the kind of restaurants it seems like Keith Lee is going to, restaurant workers' work consists of serving other people emotionally and physically who usually have more resources or are higher up in societal hierarchies than they are. The kind of work restaurant workers do takes a toll and is often underpaid- in Georgia, tipped staff can be paid a wage of as little as 2.13 /hour and only need to receive compensation (the rest coming from tips or the employer if tips don't cover it) of up to the antiquated federal minimum wage of 7.25/hour. On top of this, when customers are dissatisfied, the management can often take it out on the staff who are already working as hard as they can while still keeping their head above water. From my perspective, it seems like better service would come from not pressuring the restaurant but from pressuring the government to raise the minimum wage or have more affordable housing or stuff that comes from a perspective of helping people out and as opposed to a more punitive perspective. Just in general, this whole thing of employees owe customers feels reversed to me

[@PaHawgn]

Customers hold the power. Do not support a business that mistreats its customers! People need to raise there standards.

[@saucemaster6452]

@@zachklieman2141 american tipping culture be like

[@ghostoflazlo]

@@zachklieman2141 so you can be as pissy as you want because "muh tragic backstory"?

[@johnellis3383]

I think a big part of the issue is a work culture problem. I have seen great workers get dragged down from working with others in a bad environment and sub par workers excel when moved to a better environment. I don't understand where the bad work ethic comes from but as soon as you get someone in a management or supervisory role with that bad work ethic the people under them usually follow along and the whole workplace suffers. In my experience this is true of any color/race/religion too

[@sanche215]

Ayo, wtf this vid is amazing. Seriously, very well written and narration flows perfectly. I love it and I hope to see many more videos (and channels) like this.

[@irenicrose]

We black people need to do better for ourselves and stop keeping these trends going. But it's gonna take the whole community being onboard and not just a fraction of us.

[@markp4967]

😂😂😂😂 Goood luck, you've had HUNDREDS OF YEARS

[@lenforstell1139]

Keep blaming white people, that’s been going so well for you all these years.

[@sagevercettigaming6000]

@@markp4967as well as everyone else and from the looks of the political side of the country. We all still fighting. 🫵no matter the color you’re disposable to the deep state.

[@kiracarver988]

​@@markp4967hundreds of years since what, Mark? Remind me when Jim Crow ended? Remind me when affirmative action began? And how about the prison-industrial complex, segregation within city planning (schools, resources, etc). Aren't those things STILL a problem? If you respond, do your best to engage with intellectual discourse in mind. I really, really think you can do it.

[@Inkbkank.2029]

​@markp4967 u are Madd 😂😂 u all up in every comment section studying us being prejudice commenting go away why are u in n Black spaces 😂😂obsessed stay mad hope u get ur karma bch

[@miaomiaou_]

I just got my hair done by African braiders last weekend. I went to the hair shop and there she was waiting outside, asking if I wanted my hair braided. She knew exactly what kind of braids I wanted and went into the shop with me to make sure I bought the right kind of hair and the exact amount. She told me she had 25 years of experience braiding hair in Harlem 🤩The shop was clean and tidy, and the braids turned out great! Best of all she didn't complain that my hair was too long or too full or too kinky or too whatever! I've had my own share of bad experiences, but I couldn't put myself through the struggle of (trying to) secure an IG appointment again. There is a huge lack of professionalism. I'm never getting my hair done in somebody's house ever again. Last time I got a sew in by an African-American (which I am too lol) she was 30 min late to her own shop and when she got there she had an attitude with ME. Smh. I think there is a lack of self-esteem in the African-American community. We do not respect ourselves or think we are deserving of nice things :(

[@hinatababe97]

Bingo

[@theoraexplora]

as an African in Africa (South Africa to be specific) I found this really interesting, especially with the extra context from watching FD's video on the Keith Lee Atlanta visit. I've found that customer service does suffer under the weight of familiarity, but it isn't a specifically black thing here. the same is seemingly true in the coloured, indian/middle eastern, asian, and white communities. the real problem we have is that people don't value non-white origin brands (Maxhosa, Drip, AmaKipKip, etc) as much as their established white counterparts (LV, Gucci, DG, etc) despite similar or higher quality from non-white origin brands. people are more willing to pay (quick conversion calculation) $800 for something from LV that is lower quality than its $600 Maxhosa counterpart. they have the money for both but will say Maxhosa is expensive and LV for $800 is a steal

[@MegaDiva1999]

Very true. But our customer service can sometimes flop and I've had my fair share of Keith Lee experiences. The rudeness, funky attitude, disinterest and yes.... Giving white customers all the teeth. And I'm sorry that Black women are the most rude and 'offish'.

[@desertflowerz89]

I've given this heavy thought, and after years of painfully giving preference to black-owned businesses, I am no longer doing so after one final bad experience (of many). I do my hair at home, avoid shopping in the hood (every retailer there is usually subpar), and have had a come-to-Jesus moment about allowing anyone to take my work, energy, or resources for granted. The issue stems from anyone who can desire entrepreneurship- but real skill is required to be successful in several areas. Customer service in the AA community is generally overlooked or not discussed at all.

[@Joy_Dabih]

I’m a black woman and I used to work at a chipotle. It was usually the black customers that were rude to me. It’s like they walked in READY to have an attitude. I was polite to everyone, but the black customers almost felt like they wanted to force an attitude out of me. I never understood it, but it made me not want to serve black customers in that setting. It’s such a shame because I know that like myself, not every black customer is going to behave that way, but I can see how black employees would start to build up an internalized racism towards black customers. That being said. I still don’t believe that’s a reason to treat your own community poorly as a whole. I just wanted to express the person experience I had from the other side of the counter. ❤

[@RigB0n3]

Unfortunately I also relate to this, I'm a manager at Taco Bell. Ofc I live in a mainly black neighborhood but it's a little disappointing when some of my own kind is rude and harsh towards me when I try to say we can't do something or don't have something they want. Of course I know that not everyone is that and treat everyone with the same respect but its a little disheartening.

[@Joy_Dabih]

@@RigB0n3 Yes! Disheartening is the word I was looking for. You want to support your own community but sometimes feel like you’re not getting the support back.

[@TomikaKelly]

🤨Here's the key: Just because youre good at something or you enjoy doing something DOES NOT mean you should go into business for it. Being a business owner is a skill in and of itself.

[@karouselferris2296]

Exactly.

[@garbearfar1394]

Yup turning a hobby into a job is a sure fire way to make you hate doing it if you can’t do customer service. But if you have great customer service you’ll do really well

[@Erica-cf1xb]

If you have the business mindset and the intentions behind it is pure greed then its gonna do very well then crash out outta nowhere. This nasty streak these bosses be on is going out bad. Nobody gotta stay committed to anything or anyone without morality. That's standing on business.

[@hoorayitsjackie6166]

Yup. I’m a dog trainer of five years. I’ve been asked over and over why don’t I start my own business and I’m like where do I start? For one then I’ll have to stop doing what I love and have to pay other people to do it. I don’t want to deal with marketing and customers and sales quotas and people getting mad and wanting discounts and everything else it entail’s. I’m just not a business minded person. I’m not doing this for the money anyway.

[@doll.ov.poetrii4682]

​@@hoorayitsjackie6166 Same here. I make my own earrings and they're very beautiful. All people say to me once I tell them I make them is "BUSINESS, BUSINESS, BUSINESS" and I don't want to. My ADHD, free spirit, nor my introversion can be bothered by turning it into a business.

[@thatgirljacqsss]

I’m only a few minutes in but I love your narration of Kieth’s videos. It’s very pleasant and engaging to listen to. Truly!

[@user-vs1it5yu8u]

i usually put on video essays while i do other stuff but this essay/analysis style was so good i had to actually watch and pay attention!! super fascinating. i love how you found such relevant and genuinely interesting studies and sources & how you had clear, well-explained sections that were distinct but really smoothly linked. not to be a nerd but i would love to read an actual essay from you lmao. great video luv it xx

[@stealthis]

You need to listen to some better creators if you only keep them in the background! 😰

[@MisaKeiJune]

I worked in hospitality for the last 10 years consistently and, the amout of disrespect i was shown from black people towards me was astounding. I worked for a hotel chain in ATL and that location was the begining of the end of my journey in the Hotel sect. And The fact that i myself am a black woman, made this extremely unbearable and uncomfortable. I showed the same amout of respect to towards everyone, consistently for the 7 years i was there, (ive got the perfect consumer reviews and secret shoppers reports to back me up on that) and for some odd reason, black people were just the worst at reciprocating respect. I even tried to go out of my way to justify *their tactless behaviour towards me.* But then it became, "wait, ive shown up to work when ive lost entire family members, and ive never faltered on my respect and integrity, these people just get to call me out of name, and call me everything but a child of God just because they feel like it?" Sometimes the truth is, some Black people are purposefully difficult just because they want to be. No matter what side of the counter youre on.

[@goeienacht]

Exactly! Nobody is talking about that other very obvious side of the coin because it’s easier to recall “bad service” than being responsible for a bad dining experience. Especially with the actual terrible service stories trending to back up the former. I’ve been in service industry for a decade now. Other black people, more than half of the time (I’m being generous), will ask me inappropriate questions, be passive aggressive, ignore any greeting or questions I have, invent new complaints, treat non-black coworkers more respectfully, etc. despite me showing them equal service I’ve given everyone else. And TIP HORRIBLY ON TOP OF IT, even after smiling in your face. I can’t recount how many times I’ve greeted other black people and after two sentences, no eye contact, and a turned up lip, I’ve thought “dang, *you* chose to come to *us*, and you’re already not happy? You’re about to eat, that’s a good thing, ain’t it? It’s not too late to just leave. Why come out, and if you do, why punish me with your presence? Just take the shit home.” It’s crazy.

[@Joy_Dabih]

That’s exactly what I said in something I just posted. The black customers were always so rude. I’m a black woman. And my personality is like a golden retriever. I’m kind to everyone. But the black customers seemed to be purposefully rude. They would complain out loud about regular protocols, complain about the food costs when the prices were literally listed, roll their eyes the entire time you were serving them. I would have to brace myself whenever a group of black customers would come in. It’s shouldn’t have to be that way.

[@goeienacht]

@@Joy_Dabih right. A ton of black people don’t truly know bad service unless they have worked in service industry themselves, or unless it is actually horrible. “I didn’t like how they cooked my mashed potatoes” is not bad table service, nor is the fact that the restaurant didn’t sell what you asked for, nor are prices grounds for saying you got bad service. I’ve seen it all. It sucks. I’ve been on the other side too, at a local sit-down chicken and waffles spot in naptown, and it took my server ten minutes to even bring me my iced tea (she brought coffee); the kitchen also “lost” my ticket after I asked if our food was coming after patiently waiting for half an hour on a slow day. My server just giggled in a corner on her phone with some dude. We ended up just leaving with no food. That is bad service. Someone yelled at me for trying to order two sides they ran out of at a local black owned bbq spot, said “well if you just ask what we got then we can tell you” as if it’s not normal to order from the board, attitude and all; that is bad service. 😭

[@Joy_Dabih]

@@goeienacht Omg that’s terrible! Lol. We need to do better. This is just a theory, but I feel like some of this behavior stems from passed down trauma in black communities, ie the way parents speak to their children, the things some of us see/saw growing up, economic status leading to education gaps. Etc. it’s too much to type out, and I know I can’t put us all under one umbrella, but I feel like there tends to be an overall lack of self awareness and immaturity with a lot of this customers I encountered. It feels like there’s just this built in anger that gets projected onto other people. I didn’t grow up in a rough neighborhood by any means, but I’ve been around people that grew up in bad neighborhoods and had parents that cursed at them, or treated them like full blown adults when they were just children. Those are usually the people I notice carry an attitude everywhere they go. I’m always saying “more black people need to embrace therapy.” The greatest lesson I learned from therapy was that I get to choose how I perceive the world. And some people can only perceive and reflect the negative unfortunately.

[@thebyrd220]

@@Joy_Dabih it comes from the fact that mainstream black culture prioritizes and promotes antisocial behavior and teaches black kids to deflect all criticism - valid or not - with the defense of racism.

[@kaosrodriguez786]

My family is Mexican-Apache, but my younger brother is lighter-skinned and white-passing, and it’s astounding how I’m treated versus how he is, the difference in how we’re talked to. Definitely had the Popeyes experience. One example I can think of with the gross disrespect based on not being white, is trying to place a reservation for a table at a place one of my family members really wanted to try and the unnecessarily ridiculous issues the woman gave me over the phone. I hung up on her after over half an hour on the phone (over twenty minutes of it was just being on hold) and called back, using my “white man voice”. She was so aggressively polite, actively engaging, offering to do whatever she could. I had a table ready, under a white-sounding name, in under ten minutes. When I came there an tried to ask for my table, they asked to see my ID and what the phone number was. There’s definitely a difference in how we get treated in places like that. It’s even worse if I’m out with black friends, because black servers WILL treat them worse than they treat me. Thankfully, it’s not everyone or everywhere, and it’s not a constant occurrence, But the fact that it happens at all is deplorable, because they shouldn’t.

[@PHlophe]

i think of all the comments yours capture the horror of the mistreatment based on perceived whiteness.. the reason its a constant occurrence is that colorismo con racism have tentacles that spread far beyond imaginable . i have heard of people of color being asked to seat next to a bouquet of flowers or take the seats that are close to the kitchen. as if they are sound proofing the noise from the kitchen. because of racism i can't take anything on the menu either because i want my food to look exactly as advertised cos i don't want to risk anyone tampering on what's going in my stomach on the ground that i supposedly looked at them sideways. i take immense precautions.

[@JackDespero]

I am white, but not from the US, and I will say that my first time in a Popeyes was a bit like you said. I thought that it was just my case, but now I see that it may fit into a larger trend: I was in queue and this lady was just so rude with everyone, as if the customer were wasting her time, almost rolling her eyes. I was pretty nervous and I actually considered just leaving, but I wanted to try Popeyes. And when my turn came, it is not like she changed her attitude completely, but face softened a bit, she started to speak more slowly, and actually answer the questions I had about the menu. I thought that it was because I was being very nice to her trying to soften her a bit, but it might be that I was just typical white European, and everybody else was black.

[@hellozainab]

First video of yours i've seen, this is really well done and soooo engaging. Cant wait to watch the rest of your videos

[@kwilson4125]

He is spot on about Atlanta BUT the customer service is NOT the root of the problem. If you’ve lived or spent a lot of time in Atlanta and you’ve seen how the people in Atlanta act like they have no home training, you’d feel sorry for the businesses as well. Bad customers with good income have the worst attitudes.

[@Syriariasha]

That’s the boujie part I promise you real people actual from Atlanta don’t care

[@kwilson4125]

@@Syriariasha I agree. It's mostly people who moved to Atl because they watched reality TV shows.

[@stephdee3811]

​@@kwilson4125No..... THIS isn't about ANYBODY who's moved to Atlanta. THIS BEHAVIOR IS DIRECTLY FROM NATIVES. I INSTANTLY know when someone is not from Atlanta BCUZ there's a genuine smile, a great attitude and the vibe is completely different. I can spot an ATL native Easy..... Except for some younger ones who don't use the ATL drawl and slang, and sound kind of nerdy....... THOSE kids surprise the heck out of me...... It's a good surprise though ....🤔🙄

[@kwilson4125]

@@stephdee3811 There are nice natives and nice newcomers. It's probably behavior that specific people have no matter where they are from. Ever since the reality tv shows and IG, more people act like ballers no matter what their budget. They have enough money to go to more expensive restaurants and stores, but they never learned the etiquette. And a lot of people really spend more than they should. Most of us are not saving. I can understand why Ole Lady Gang can't do to-go orders at certain times. I could only imagine the double parking, the frustration, and worse. I am a Black woman but the amount of times that Black women return their food after eating a lot of it and complaining that it doesn't taste like they make it at home.. I had to go out a lot with groups of colleagues and it happened so often. And people not adhering to the dress code and wanting to wear athletic gear every place and then crying racism. There are many restaurants that need to do better, but some people have taken "The customer is always right" to another level.

[@mostreal907]

It’s interesting to see how internalized self hate plays a role.

[@kilbert666]

Damn, even when black people hate black people black people blame white people. The diversity glass was installed due to the content of their character.

[@TyroneLangam]

It’s totally sickening seeing how we get treated by our own people

[@cristyluv1205]

Facts!!! Back in the day when microbraids were the thing to wear, no lie EVERYTIME I got them I swear the braider tried her best to rip my edges out! I was relaxed then with hair mid back length. It’s like they hated I had hair. It was the weirdest thing to me

[@Sheena000]

Do you think there’s a classism aspect to it as well? The response that the real milk and honey posted is so weird to me. It gave off the impression that they felt like they had ascended to a higher class than Keith Lee and their customers by being business owners. So they were offended that the lowly customers had the gall to critique the restaurant. It just seems so weird to me that someone would open a business and would hate their customer base despite the fact that their customers are the reason for their success. They want solidarity from their own community so they can have the means to separate themselves from and look down upon that same community. Makes me wonder if the attitudes of the owners then feeds into how they treat their employees and then that feeds into how the employees treat the customers.

[@karouselferris2296]

@Sheena000 I think that plays a Huge part into the Business Owner’s mentality. That response was the most childish thing I’ve seen in awhile, it was embarrassing at best.

[@A_tater]

Incredible video and you have an amazing voice with an even more incredibly articulate vocabulary. One of the best video essay-ers I’ve come across.

[@Kimmystyles2]

This was actually really insightful and thought provoking. You had well stated opinions with facts and evidence including some statistical information to back it u. You asked real questions and You weren’t at all divisive, so this I can truly appreciate.

[@kimberlyk1795]

4 years ago I went to get faux locs at a salon from a licensed stylist and after being told one price beforehand, she tried to force me to pay her double what was asked stating reasons for things that we had already previously discussed being in the price. I gave her exactly what we agreed upon, wished her well and left. Since then, I have been doing my hair with KZbin tutorials and a prayer, and have gotten good enough to help my friends and family with their hair so as to not get scammed too. I hope we learn to do better for one another.

[@Erica-cf1xb]

Hair is a real issue.

[@Edwardsjm]

Learned ur lesson nice

[@yeahimashley9515]

“I have been doing my hair with KZbin tutorials and prayer” I KNOW THATS RIGHT. I had the worst (and last) experience with a hair salon like 3-4 years ago. Never looked back.

[@Nishapur]

I learned how to braid my own hair after my last "braiding" experience. The braider I booked worked out of a hair salon. She canceled the appointment after arriving 90 minutes late, claiming that she didn't think I was going to show up. Mind you, we spoke on the phone 3 times that week including the day before because I didn't know what hair to get.

[@princessz3413]

I had this happen to me

[@sunnyj7424]

I learned how to braid my own hair too after a braider stopped half way because she was too tired. I had to go home with half of my head braided 💀 she continued the next day, but what if I had somewhere to be that day? The unprofessionalism is rampant and disappointing.

[@thecamillarose9806]

​@@sunnyj7424at least she didn't cancel the second day

[@arugula4750]

I’ve been a waiter for 20 years the racism towards the black community makes me sick. I’ve literally been trained by people when I was younger who would tell me to “give them shitty service cause they won’t tip”. Treating people poorly isn’t my thing mama raised me to treat others how I want to be treated. I try to give the best service I can possibly give, and have never once been tipped poorly because of someone’s race, just like EVERYONE else if you treat people with respect they will respect you.

[@angelbelmont2190]

Something they earned to the fullest Worst costumers and worst business owners Most not all , not all but most 😂😂😂

[@mbguap]

As a white european, it was very interesting to watch. It's obviously not something I think about and I wasn't even really aware of that problem existing. It's in a way cool to see how there are multiple topics, problems and public discussions that you never even really thought of, simply because you haven't experienced them or haven't found out about them yet and watchng videos like this one opens my mind to them.

[@Kiara-xh3he]

Keith lee had good things to say about the Houston food scene. I’ve been to Houston and been too great Black owned businesses and Im happy to see them being highlighted in Houston

[@Bereal-yd5gh]

He has been going easy on huston after everything

[@Ebele89]

@@Bereal-yd5ghnot at all he loved New Orleans and Chicago too, Atlanta customer service is just terrible

[@Bereal-yd5gh]

@Ebele89 no he is if actually watch him. You know....

[@YouAreDreamingRightNow]

houston has that real southern hospitality that people think of in a stereotypical way. i'm always treated lovely there.

[@Kiara-xh3he]

@@YouAreDreamingRightNow same, I LOVED the food scene there. I went to both Black owned and other race owned establishments and was treated VERY well! Food was delicious, reasonably priced and service was on point. ATL take notes lol

[@JessJayEel]

The Popeyes effect is so real. Especially among Haitians or other Caribbean establishments. I will never forget when this technical guy stormed out my house because I couldn't tell him specifically why my washer machine didn't work. I was trying to call my dad to get more details but he didn't pick up. I felt so uncomfortable. In the back of my mind I wondered if I was a white customer would he act like that. We don't want to admit it but we treat each other like crap. As a nurse I go out of my way to make my black patients feel comfortable to overcompensate for them not being treated well by ALL races. We got to do better!

[@zacharynguyen7286]

Hope you’re doing good. Sending support and hearts! ❤️❤️❤️ Stay safe. Always remember that people care, one of them, me. Sending support and even more hearts!❤️❤️❤️ Stay safe

[@crybabydemon]

I went to Atlanta with my father and younger sibling. I’m the lightest in my immediate family, so I’ve experienced a bit of skintone preference. One day, we went to a restaurant. I was dressed my level of casual clothing (formal-ish or academia style) and they were dressed comfortably (loose jeans and a t-shirt for the weather). I got treated nicely and respectfully, they got treated more harshly. I liked the food but I hated the way they were treated, so I ended up eating food we made at the airb&b. Atlanta is cool and all, but jeez there’s issues.

[@yasip9897]

I was in an Amazon go store the other day trying to get in with my app. After many minutes of trying and looking over at two workers (black male and white female) and being ignored, a white male finally comes out to help me. You’re right some don’t think that we deserve decent customer service. 🤷🏾‍♀️

[@whojoose]

I deal with this A LOT at restaurants here in Detroit. The problem is simple, at times, black people are too comfortable. Workers here will talk to you like they know you, like how your friends/family would. But they’re not lmao. They don’t know you, yet they don’t realize they’re being offensive. They think it’s our language

[@whojoose]

I made my comment before I watched the video. Glad to see she touched on it 🔥

[@Erica-cf1xb]

Happened at a doctor's appointment. It silenced me that this person felt comfortable asking about my health in such a casual way And I know have access to my health records... my personal life isn't up for tea time or salon talk. Can't even go get wellness checks without being violated.

[@LittleDogTobi]

What you said about the sense of kinship based on race sometimes coming at the expense of professionalism reminds me a lot of being around Latino immigrants in the U.S. I love the warmth and pet names but sometimes it’s like, professional boundaries please??

[@Laceykat66]

Stop it. The idea that a "black-owned" business would automatically be superior to any other random sampling of businesses is just what has been keeping the African American community in such dire straights for the better part of seventy years. A person as well as a business needs to be judged on what they bring to the table and what value they provide for your support. They should not get an unlimited pass based on tribal guilt. If I do not like the service at an Atlanta restaurant it is because of that business owner, NOT because of their skin color. Likewise, I should not have to waste my time and hard-earned money to sate some perceived guilt over historical inequities. I go to the good store that gives me the value for my money. Nothing else in that relationship is important. Thank you again for exposing this issue. As always you do a wonderful job.

[@CCLFan1]

Just wanted to say that i was just recommended your video this morning. I'm a few minutes in, and I've already subscribed! 😁 Very excited to check out your whole channel.

[@booksvsmovies]

As an African immigrant (to Canada not the US) it's interesting to hear a usamerican's perspective on immigrant African braiders. I haven't gotten my hair braided in years so I can't really speak to how that dynamic plays out in Canada. This could just be my and my family's individual experience but when I used to invest more into my hair we largely used the exact same braider for multiple years and I pretty much grew up going to the same salon from when I was kid until I graduated high school. I built relationships with the women that did my hair so the levels of animosity between customer and client just isn't part of my experience of getting my hair done. but again this is just a personal anecdote so I don't claim to speak for general trends hair culture.

[@chumba608]

Couldn't have agreed more. I wold remain loyal to my hair braider for years and build relationships with them, asking about how they are doing and knowing more about them. Additionally, for my loyalty to her, I would experience discounted rates on hairstyles. The segment for hair braiders is hard to take in or believe. Not discounting anyone's experience, I would just ask Amanda maybe not paint people as one way and caution her audience to acknowledge that this is not all braiders or black businesses.

[@A_T_E_R_R_Y]

Same here ever since I began braiding my hair, I had specific braiders I could go to and this all depends on how well they braid my hair and if they use dirty combs on my hair.

[@zesty6781]

As another Afro-Canada immigrant (heyyyyy), i think it’s also a sign of how differently blackness is thought of here. Most black people in Canada (at least for me) are immigrants, so whenever we see each other we’re more likely to bond over not just racism but also all the baggage of being an immigrant in a mostly white country lol. Like, the first thing we want to do is find someone who we can connect to after feeling so out of our depth. But once you find other black people from the same area as you that you’re not really connected to, the customer service starts to replicate the Popeyes experience a lot more LMAO

[@pigalottafattenton5003]

Immigrant braiders are almost always nicer to other immigrants especially if they speak the same language. I’ve been in a braiders chair with her and her niece braiding my hair and her husband came in arguing and screaming at them in their native language. I’m not coming back to bad service or an uncomfortable environment. I would love to have a reliable, long term comfortable customer relationship with a braider. I will stick with them until they retire and go to the person they trained to take over. That’s just my opinion as someone in the US.

[@HagiaFantasia]

I went to a black salon a about a year ago and the woman who cut my split ends cut off way more than needed, and I'd been trying to grow my hair down past my shoulders, it was hard for me to do this. And because of her doing that do my own hair and will never let anyone touch it again.

[@TracyPerson1]

As a black business owner, I moved from the north to the south and moved by choice to a neighborhood that could serve my people. I am an herbalist and doula and I am frequently baffled by how much more the white people who have come to my healing and herbal space seem to appreciate my presence than the neighborhood people of color. It’s so much easier to get the white customers to come and stay. I’ll keep it affordable and continue to reach for black customers though. We need herbal health and knowledge in the community. I’ll continue to give classes and do community hangouts for information.😊

[@adrianghandtchi1562]

It’s quite important that you’re still willing to continue to reach out with a helping hand, it just takes that one person to take it and the others can’t help but want to follow that person they trust who took your hand

[@flockh24]

I appreciate that you have created a space to foster community, engagement and education. Business owners must learn to cultivate that cultural reference point for uptake in the community. For to long we have lost the knowledge of natural healing. Over reliance on doctors and big pharma have separated us from the healing of the naturopathic intervention. Keep doing the work positively and the reward of patronage will follow. Ase

[@rebel1612]

Your work in the birthing community is so needed and appreciated! I’m glad that you are committed to continuing your work in the community!

[@KtotheG]

So what are you saying? Are your black customers rude to you?

[@TracyPerson1]

@@KtotheG more like, they say they will support and then don’t come out. Even when things are free, a lot of times they won’t come out. They will forget.

[@coolblue32q]

I learned my lesson about choosing to live amongst my people 😢 A black man robbed my house, two black boys(literallychildren) stole my car from my front yard at 2pm on a Sunday then wreckedit in a middleschoolparkinglot, a black man mugged me in the local Walmart parking lot. These days we hurt ourselves the most

[@cd6741]

This doesn't just apply to the US. There has been a long running joke among the diaspora here in the UK about the exceptionally bad customer service in the Caribbean take away shops. The historical context is very different to the US but I believe the underlying internalised racism still applies. I don't bother with these shops anymore. After not going into one for a few years I decided to try a new one near where I live a few months back. There was something I wanted that I couldn't see on the menu, soup, so asked the woman who served me if they had any. She said no, I then asked if they usually do soup or was it just that they didn't have any that day. She replied yes sometimes then she went round the back, back into the kitchen. I had for a moment considered ordering something else but she didn't come back out! I was left standing in the shop on my own. I left. Never going back.

[@nattygirldred]

1. This topic always reminds me of that 3 year old boy who was taught to call 911 if his mother was having a seizure. The 911 operator was black and so was the child. She repeatedly told him to stop playing on the phone even though he was clearly saying his mother was sleep and wouldn’t wake up. The little boy’s mother died. 2. One time I was assaulted at the by a drunk black man at the bus stop, after it was over a Latinx woman at the bus stop said she thought I knew him, simply because he was black, she thought we were “ playing “. 3. And last, I notice stylist missing opportunities for repeat customers y not pulling out the date book and scheduling regular hair maintenance or having a plan for me as a customer, like saying “ On Dec 15th I want you to come back in for a hot oil treatment, I’m available at this time and this time, what can I put you down for?” Just simple things to make us feel appreciated are sorely missing.

[@Glace077]

"Latinx" fucking lmao

[@parmenides2576]

It was probably because you used the fake word “Latinx”

[@mr.fahrenheit7009]

Latinx 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

[@noreingravity]

​@@mr.fahrenheit7009let them say latinx if they want to, the whole latinx latine thing it's so unnecessary but for op, if you use feminine pronouns for someone then you can also say latina as well!

[@Xilladan093]

​@@noreingravity latinx is cringe to mexicans

[@livingoreo87]

I am biracial, worked in restaurants for over 15 years, both cooking and bartending. And the worst experiences I have had bartending, unfortunately has been African American customers. I've been called uncle tom, high yellow, and other derogatory terms because they thought they were entitled more or wanting free alcohol. It truly sucks.

[@coleworld4385]

This tho… it’s unfortunate…

[@lotusinn3]

Yep, and it is disgusting. Some of the worse racism I’ve observed (as a black person), has been what biracial people receive from some black people. It’s just disheartening to watch and SO unnecessary.

[@LadySkippy]

New to your channel. I love how you discuss various aspects of this topic. And your voice is so nice to listen to. Definitely subscribing! I love finding new commentary KZbinrs I enjoy, I feel like I learn so much.

[@sadiepetersen7538]

So well spoken and so incredibly smart omfg (side note you are soooo pretty and I’m obsessed with your voice!)

[@Destiny11wwww]

The fact that cardi b has to name drop for some mediocre ass food is beyond me

[@Magus__Quinn]

businesses that pay their workers poor wages and expect tips to subsidize their disrespect for their workers gotta do better

[@Listening_Books12345]

Thisssss! If food service workers got paid a living wage I think the dining experience would improve for everyone. There'd be less desperation, pressure and resentment built into the server/client interactions.

[@doubleservings2890]

Wait, so a living wage equates to common courtesy? 😮 That's wild; and as someone who makes a very good salary I can with 100% accuracy attest to there being rude, crass people at all levels of pay. What happened to "treat others as you want to be treated"?

[@victoria-rx4fn]

@@Listening_Books12345that’s not true. I was a server for 10 years. We treat it as an independent contract. The better our hospitality is the better the tip. MOST people tip. Only certain foreigners don’t because it’s not known to them. If your cheap then you don’t tip or I guess if you just don’t believe in it and come into a restaurant to do what you can do at home. We win some and lose some. If restaurants paid servers the wages they make w/ tips you would get mediocre service at best.

[@Ramberta]

@@doubleservings2890 so you think restaurant workers don't deserve a higher wage because you know mean people making more than that??? Make it make sense

[@Ramberta]

@@victoria-rx4fn what's wrong with mediocre service though? if I'm getting good quality food, I don't need to be 'entertained' or excessively catered to. In fact that makes me not want to come back to a place because it's too much pressure to schmooze with the staff. I'd rather eat well knowing the people who cooked and served that food, also live well!

[@TheUnoriginalOtaku]

I wasn’t aware of this. Thank you for making this video! I don’t know how to add to this conversation, but I did want to comment for the algorithm :) Also, I really like the color scheme of your shirt

[@gzerq]

I feel like you should get more sponsorship deals just based off the fact that your breakdown of the different braids was so detailed I thought it was an ad at first.

[@Bri-lk7re]

As a black afab service worker, I’ve seen it from the service side too. Black people (mainly black women unfortunately) have treated me with so much malice whereas my indian/east asian presenting coworkers get all the sweet talk. it’s weird as hell

[@elkmio4870]

Indian and Asian are the same thing

[@Tortle-Man]

While both Indians and other Asian peoples are both from the same continent, most wouldn’t agree they have much in common or share a common label. Tbh, most Asian people wouldn’t agree on a common label. American Asians might agree on that common label, just due the diversity of people here. But in Asia, none of them would agree on that label.

[@Bri-lk7re]

@@elkmio4870 Sorry, I should’ve specified east asian. I edited it because I meant my Punjabi coworkers (it was a family) and my korean+Filipino coworkers got treated way better than I did

[@GlizzyGoblin757]

“afab” holy cringe

[@shirim3120]

grow tf up man

[@ArchThaBoss]

There’s this unspoken unity among black people that I think interferes when we conduct business with each other. As if it’s just standard that when dealing each other we turn off professionalism. As a music producer I dealt with it so much at one point in time I stopped making beats. Everyone wanted beats from me 24/7 but they all wanted my hard work for free. Then as a customer the biggest thing that stood out to me is how barbers act. Taking an hour long on a taper that should have taken 30 min max is crazy because they want to get on the phone, order food, argue about sports and music, etc. we really have to do better as far as being customers and providing customer service, because they don’t treat other races with that level of rudeness and disrespect.

[@PHlophe]

finally a male perspective. I think its a blend of community unity and inheritance of toxic colonial and slavery traits. what you said about making beats that Black people want for free is because is they think you should be doing them a "solid" bur resent you for putting a number on your work . it also stems from the fact that a lot of us think someone with a skill is "gifted" there for there is no real understanding that craft , knowledge , zeitgeist need to be aligned for someone to live off their expertise. Being treated with a modicum of dignity and respect is a basic human right. i can say that sometimes hospitality starts in the family. I have anecdotes for days . But if you observe how some relatives treat you as the microcosm of the culture is often our own family

[@vulpixelful]

​@PHIophe You have a good point about the "gifted" statement. I try to help people in my family get into my field (tech) but they think I had some inherent "talent" initially. No, I had to learn hard concepts and make mistakes, and that's reflected in my compensation. When you don't have a growth mindset you really don't see skills as valuable, then wonder why you need to pay for what people do "naturally" 😑

[@max_robinson__]

9:03 - black server here and YES, it's very true that that compared to yt patrons, black patrons are less likely to give higher tips, if they tip at all. i literally will sometimes be surprised when i get a 15% tip from a black table. this discourse is another reason why i want to open up my own cafe, showing that a black owned business CAN serve all customers and not treat them like shit 😭

[@angelbelmont2190]

Yeah no tip but they are the most demanding and obnoxious costumers

[@lareisto481]

I love how you structure your videos!

[@sss_Shaq1496]

Funny enough the last time I went to Sweet Green the black guy making my food was so perturb by my presence and when he took the white costumer behind me he was so kind. I was a little hurt lol like what is attitude for.

[@guyafrica7894]

Can we talk about how gorgeous your hair is? It looks lively with character. This video was good critique of modern elitism of many black businesses

[@scentedlikerose2931]

absolutely loved this video. I as a black woman has experienced similar things mentioned in the video ESPECIALLY the hair one on more than one occasion (flaky, not what I asked for after being vocal about what i wanted and literally pausing the braiding session to speak up, sloppy/rushed work, etc). It sucks that black businesses often treat their black customers without any type of professionalism.

[@kiddsupreme]

Goddamn… this has to be one of the most well put together video essay I have ever seen. This young lady is able to speak a narrative thread, while at the same time avoiding the usual trope of sounding condescending. You earned this subscription 🙌🏾

[@Mightbecasca]

Pls don’t use the Lord’s name in vain