Staff at Acanteen, a popular cafe in Chelmsford, Essex, have been left 'fuming' after a customer submitted a racist booking request via the 'special request' option. The incident was shared on Instagram on November 6 by a staff member, who expressed her distress and disgust at the message.
In the Instagram post, the cafe stated: 'We have a zero tolerance approach towards bullying, harassment, racism, sexism or any other hateful behaviour.' The post included a trigger warning and emphasised that any offensive behaviour would be reported and treated with the utmost severity.
The cafe later updated in the comments that the incident had been reported to Stop Hate UK, who are referring it to Essex Police. Loyal customers flooded the comments section with support, praising the cafe for speaking out and creating an inclusive environment.
Acanteen reiterated that they welcome everyone and love their inclusive team and community, while condemning the hateful behaviour.
