ODESSA, TX — A waiter in Odessa whose post about being stiffed for a tip by a customer whose note on a receipt reportedly referred to him as a “terrorist” gained international attention said he made the whole thing up. Khalil Cavil, 20, made the admission after the restaurant where he formerly worked called the post a hoax after conducting an investigation.
In a statement Monday, Saltgrass Steak House Chief Operating Officer Terry Tunney said the company learned that Cavil “fabricated the entire story.” Pointing out that “racism of any form is intolerable,” Tunney went on to say that “falsely accusing someone of racism is equally disturbing.”
In the Facebook post, Cavil wrote on his now deactivated account that he was sharing a photo of the receipt “because I want people to understand that this is racism, and this hatred still exists,” according to media outlets that captured the post in screenshots of the receipt for a the $108.73 bill. It didn’t show Cavil received a tip.
In an interview Monday with the Odessa American, Cavil admitted he wrote the note on the receipt, but didn’t offer a reason.
“I did write it,” Cavil told the newspaper. “I don’t have an explanation. I made a mistake. There is no excuse for what I did.”
Initially, the Saltgrass Steak House backed Cavil and banned the customer. Tunney said Monday that he has contacted the restaurant patron and offered a free meal on the house. Cavil is no longer employed by the restaurant, the company said.
Cavil said he is also returning about $1,000 in donations that came his way from people who saw his post. He had said he was working at the restaurant to pay for college in Dallas this fall.
“I’m sorry. I deeply made a huge, big mistake,” he told the Odessa American. “And I’m in the process of getting the help that I need.”
Photo via Shutterstock
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