Black woman in Missouri walks into a Chinese restaurant. The first thing the waiter says is ‘speak english’ and then they seat her by the bathroom

A TikTok accusing a Missouri Chinese restaurant waiter of telling Black customers to “speak English” has drawn attention with over 107,000 views. Posted by Bebe, the video shows her recounting what she described as an uncomfortable experience at a Hunan Restaurant location in Missouri after she and a friend visited for a meal.

According to the creator, the encounter began almost immediately after they entered the restaurant. She alleged the waiter told them to speak English despite speaking with a heavy accent himself, while the group was later ignored as other customers who arrived after them were seated first.

The video does not include footage of the alleged interaction inside the restaurant. Instead, it shows the creator describing the incident after leaving, outlining what she said happened from the moment the group arrived until they decided to leave without ordering. It also joins a growing number of restaurant disputes that have gained traction on TikTok, including one involving a woman who claimed she and her friends were turned away from an apparently empty restaurant.

The seating dispute only made things worse

Speaking outside the restaurant after leaving, the creator said she was surprised by how her party was treated from the moment they arrived. She explained that the host ignored them while attending to other patrons who had arrived later.

“Guys, we’re just sitting here and wondering what just happened. I’m shocked! Because we went to this restaurant, this Chinese restaurant, and the first thing the waiter told us was, ‘Speak English. Speak in English!’ He has a thick-ass accent, and he told us to speak in English!”

The situation reportedly escalated when the party asked to be seated after watching other patrons get priority service. The creator noted that staff eventually directed them toward the least desirable seating area in the building.

“And when we got in there, there was these white people that just got in, like, after us. We was standing there for a while, they didn’t talk to us… And they’re like, ‘Go find anywhere you want to go sit.’ And they sat us in the back… by the bathroom!”

Seating complaints are common in restaurant disputes on social media, with diners frequently posting videos alleging they were overlooked, seated in undesirable locations, or not being served at all.

Bebe said the interaction continued after they were seated. According to her, the waiter became frustrated while they were trying to place their order before walking away from the table without taking it. The video itself focuses on the creator recounting the incident after leaving the restaurant rather than showing the exchange inside.

“They sat us by the bathroom, and we were just there sitting, and they said, ‘Speak in English!’ And we were trying to order our food, and this guy got mad and left!”

Restaurants are generally free to set seating arrangements and establish house policies. However, under U.S. federal law, businesses that serve the public cannot deny service or treat customers differently based on race.

Viewers discussed the encounter in the comment section, with many encouraging the creator to leave public reviews about her experience. Several commenters also shared how they would have handled the situation. “I started rejecting tables that were offered to me if I didn’t want to sit there,” one person wrote. Another added, “Good you didn’t spend any money there,” while a third simply commented, “Oh, so sorry this happened to you guys.”