Khalil Cavil confessed that he pretended to be a victim of racism at work. The 20-year-old is no longer employed at the restaurant he was a server at.
Cavil alleged that a customer left no tip on a $108 bill at a Saltgrass restaurant in Odessa, Texas, where he was a waiter, and instead wrote a note: “We Don’t Tip Terrorist.”
“I did write it,” Cavil told the Odessa American. “I don’t have an explanation. I made a mistake. There is no excuse for what I did.”
The young man’s story came to light at a time when social media is being used to draw national attention to every day instances of racism, which for the most part are real. Cavil’s experience drew coverage in outlets including The Washington Post, USA Today and CBS.
“I share this because I want people to understand that this racism and this hatred still exists,” 20-year-old waiter Khalil Cavil said in a Facebook post.
When Cavil’s story first broke he said he was not interested in any money — he just wanted to shed more awareness on the reality of racism.
At the time Cavil shared a photo of the receipt on Facebook and said, “I was sick to my stomach” over the incident.
In addition to writing the message, Cavil also circled his first name on the receipt. He made it appear that the patrons targeted Cavil because his first name, Khalil, led them to believe he is of Middle Eastern descent, which is in fact not the case.
Cavil’s Facebook profile appears to now be deactivated.
Cavil didn’t elaborate much but said he wanted to further a conversation “about this hatred that is still going on, that is still here and prevalent. I just wanted people to understand that.”
His former employer said in a statement that the customer who was initially banned from the restaurant (whose identity was never revealed) has been invited back for a free meal. A spokeswoman told the Post that Cavil is no longer employed there but did not disclose whether or not he was fired.
Cavil received monetary donations after his story hit the headlines, with the amount totaling about $1,000. He told the Odessa American he is in the process of returning all the money he received.
