Anti-Mexican Racism and Discrimination at:
Rainforest Cafe
South Coast Plaza Mall
Costa Mesa, CA
Restaurant Address:
3333 Bristol Street #1073
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
USA
Contact Information:
Phone: (714) 424-9200
Fax: (714) 424-9281
E-mail: bdeuning@rainforest.com
Specialty Items:
A full line of themed merchandise including souvenir glasses.
Beverage Service:
The Magic Mushroom Bar offers a full selection of liquor, beer, and wine, along with an array of specialty drinks, smoothies, and fresh squeezed juices to cool down even the hottest safari.
Location within mall:
Rainforest CafeŽ is located on the first level of South Coast Plaza, near Sears.
Estimada Communidad Chicana/Mexicana:
La Voz de Aztlan received information that the Rainforest Cafe/Restaurant situated inside the South Coast Plaza Mall in Orange County, California is discriminating and insulting customers of Mexican descent and making us feel unwelcome. There have now been two cases at the restaurant's counter or what they call the Magic Mushroom Bar where Mexicanos and Chicanos have been disrespected and demeaned. The first case involved a Mexican-American couple that was refused service and the second case involved a male Chicano, who, because he protested disrespectful treatment, was asked to leave and not come back.
In the first case, the couple entered the counter area where there is no waiting and set themselves on the stools. They noticed that the Anglo server kept ignoring them and served first other Anglos that had come after they did. When the couple attempted to obtain the attention of the server, he was very rude and the the Mexican-American couple had to leave the restaurant.
The second separate incident is a little more serious. In this case a gentleman of Mexican descent, a Professional Engineer, also set himself on the counter area or their Magic Mushroom Bar. The same male Anglo server ignored him for quite some time. Finally when the server asked the Chicano customer what he wanted, the customer ordered a special drink that they call a "Margarilla" that has a large picture on the menu and sells for $6.95. The Anglo server was rude and kept pretending that he did not understand the order. The customer then lifted the menu and showed the server the picture. The drink "Margarilla" they advertize on the menu showed that it included both a slice of lime and a small souvenir cup attached to the side of the drink. After a long waiting time the server brought the drink but without the lime nor the souvenir cup. When the Chicano customer brought this to the server's attention, the server said that they "had run out of the other stuff" in a disrespectful manner. After this the customer asked to see the manager. The Anglo manager came back and threw the money that had been paid for the drink on the counter and asked the Chicano customer that he will have to leave or that "they will call security." A little after, approximately ten South Coast Plaza security officers came and escorted the customer outside where he was forcefully "photographed" and given the following notice:
The South Coast Plaza Mall is presently experiencing a change of demographics and more Mexican/Chicano customers are coming in from the nearby City of Santa Ana and the Anglos are becoming more belligerent. South Coast Plaza is the last bastion for white Orange County shoppers that includes shoppers from Newport Beach and Irvine, California. La Voz de Aztlan believes that tactics such as the ones above are designed to keep Mexicans and Chicanos out of the Restaurant and Mall. It is a modern day "No Mexicans or Dogs Allowed" type tactic.
There has been a request to La Voz de Aztlan to publicize the incidents for two purposes. The first is to alert those in our community so that they do not have to subject themselves to such indignant treatment and secondly to ask whether anyone else has suffered such mistreatment already either at the Rainforest Cafe or at the mall in general. If anyone knows someone that has experienced such racist and discriminatory treatment, please contact Impacto 2000 at Impacto@mail.serve.com