Have you ever been denied a service because of a language barrier?
Most English speakers never experience this, now that English has become a universal language.
That being said, try to put yourself in the shoes of someone who can't receive a service because of a language they don't speak. You can imagine that this kind of treatment is quite frustrating and embarrassing.
And what's even more exasperating is when you're denied a service in the country that you live in...
One American women was denied being served at Taco Bell in Hialeah, Florida (north of Miami) because she only spoke English.
Although the city resides in American territory, more than 90% of the city's residents identify as Hispanic and speak Spanish.
The argument began at a drive-thru and was recorded by the customer's phone.
Alexandria Montgomery was placing her order in English when the employee tells her in Spanish to move so she could serve the other customers.
"Can you move, please? I have an order behind you," she says. "There is no one who speaks English. This is Hialeah, I'm sorry."
Montgomery even asks to speak to the manager before the employee closes the window and threatens to call the police.
"I'm trying to order and she's telling me I can't order because she doesn't speak English. Who's wrong?" Montgomery said in the video.
According to reports, no other employees at the time spoke English and Montgomery was forced to leave without making a purchase.
"I contacted the manager and after explaining to her what happened all she did was apologize and say 'thank you,' and the call was disconnected," she told El Nuevo Herald.
In a statement, Taco Bell said, "This individual no longer works for the brand."
Watch the full video below:
"No habla ingles!" Hialeah Taco Bell employee fired for refusing to take order from customer who doesn't speak Spanish. Watch full video here: https://t.co/rp2Pjo6oc7 pic.twitter.com/XWXtU2hZHa
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) September 14, 2018
Twitter Reactions
Since September 14, the viral video has been viewed more than 400,000 times and garnered thousands of comments.
Many people believe it was right for the worker to get fired.
She understands enough English to argue with her about not speaking English though. Definitely deserved to be fired.
— Your Name (@How_bout_hellno) September 15, 2018
This is nothing new for Miami. She was wrong for refusing to serve her and deserves to be fired. If you go to a Haitian restaurant and don't speak creole you getting bad service, the same with Jamaican or any island food place in Miami as well.
— Sharikareka (@sharikareka) September 14, 2018
She deserved firing. I'm not saying that out of prejudice, but I work somewhere with lots of Visitors from other countries who know little English and we muddle through ..sometimes all of us..customers and me..have a great deal of fun figuring it all out.
— cheri desalvo (@Chessielynn) September 14, 2018
[H/T: Fox News / WSVN 7 News]
