Huntington Beach waiter fired after asking patrons for "proof of residency"

Los Angeles Times
Christine Mai-Duc
6 hrs ago

Brenda Carrillo wasn't sure she'd heard the waiter right.

She and a friend had just been seated and were waiting for two others on the outdoor patio of Saint Marc, an upscale eatery in Huntington Beach, when he posed the question.

"Can I see your proof of residency?" the waiter asked.

Her friend repeated the question in disbelief, Carrillo recalled, and the waiter replied, "I need to make sure you're from here before I serve you."

The two women sat in stunned silence. "It was kind of hard to process because we've never experienced this," said Carrillo, 23, who lives in Santa Ana and works for an organization that provides social services to families and youth.

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