In a shocking revelation, a restaurant employee claimed that he received a racist note from an unidentified couple at the Planet Hollywood inside Los Angeles International Airport.
LAX Airport server claimed that he had eliminated the gratuity tip after serving the couple. (Planet Hollywood)
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Guillermo Ortiz, who has been employed at the restaurant in the Tom Bradley International Terminal for more than ten years, told KTLA-TV that when the couple left he went back to retrieve the receipt, and found a handwritten note instead of a tip. “No tip for illegal,” the note read, asking him to “Go back to Mexico.”
Guillermo Ortiz describes shocking incident
Detailing the incident, which occurred on March 21, Ortiz said, “20 minutes after (they left), I opened the checkbook, and I found the message, and it made me feel bad.”
“I’m not even Mexican, I’m Puerto Rican, but my wife is Mexican – there’s no right to treat people like that,” the server added.
Ortiz further said that he felt something was wrong as they were staring at him strangely. He was disappointed to receive the racist message while opening the checkbook. According to Ortiz, it was the first such incident that had happened to him since he started working as a server in 2014.
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The bill at Planet Hollywood in LAX automatically includes an 18.5% gratuity. Ortiz claimed that he had eliminated the gratuity tip after serving the couple.
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The bill at Planet Hollywood in LAX automatically includes an 18.5% gratuity. Ortiz claimed that he had eliminated the gratuity tip after serving the couple.
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“Probably ’cause they saw me, they know I’m Hispanic, they thought I’m Mexican or illegal or I don’t know what they’re thinking,” he told KTLA-TV.
Shweta Kukreti has over 8 years of experience in covering Indian and world politics. She joined the Hindustan Times in 2024 and is primarily assigned to the US desk. She currently works as Deputy Chief Content Producer and reports on a wide range of topics, including US politics, immigration issues (especially H-1B visa) and major global events. Shweta strongly emphasizes team operations, which encompasses monitoring news, delegating tasks, editing, developing comprehensive coverage strategies, and crafting engaging, and data-informed narratives. She received the Digi Star Award at the Hindustan Times within a year of joining for her broad coverage of US politics. In 2025, she earned both a promotion and a redesignation, a significant achievement recognising her contributions and the strong value she brings to the team. She has previously worked with the Indian Express, HTDS, ANI and Republic World. Seniors in all the media organisations recognised her work. Regarding education, she earned a BA (Hons.) in Political Science and a master's degree from Delhi University, and she pursued a PG Diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institution of Mass Communication (IIMC). She also holds a diploma in Women's Empowerment and Development from IGNOU University and a French certification course from Alliance Française de Delhi. If not working, you can find her exploring the hills and engaging in adventurous activities in Rishikesh and Himachal Pradesh. She loves to play badminton, volleyball, and chess, and spend time with her friends and family. She also enjoys spiritual activities.
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Home/World News/Us News/LAX Airport server to lose job over ‘racist’ message from unidentified diners? ‘Go back to Mexico’
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