One of the things Trump voters have been most looking forward to with his presidency was the normalization of cruelty — and, for many, it really has happened for them. We’ve seen the dissolution of DEI initiatives, terrifying videos of ICE tearing apart families and homes, widespread cheering for veterans losing their jobs, for bringing men who have publicly bragged about raping and sex trafficking women back to the United States, and other things that at one point would have horrified most people.
But not everyone is getting the benefit of that generosity of spirit — even in Ohio!
Last week, Stephanie Lovins was fired from her job as a realtor at Century 21 after her receipt (pictured above) from Cazuelas Mexican Cantina in Columbus, Ohio, went viral.
Lovins was reportedly enraged by the restaurant’s “one coupon per table” policy and, in lieu of a tip on her bill of $87.84, wrote “ZERO. YOU SUCK. I HOPE TRUMP DEPORTS YOU!!!” to server and US citizen (not that it should matter) Ricardo Nonato, who was definitely not in charge of inventing that policy.
As an aside, it’s always worth pointing out — for those who have never worked in the service industry — that servers and sales associates are never in charge of setting policy with regards to things like coupons or return policies and are also not responsible for kitchen running out of something you want or for something being sold out in your size. Incredible, I know.
The receipt, with Lovins’s name on it, went viral on social media, after which she briefly attempted to deny responsibility, posting on social media that her card had been stolen.
On Facebook Lovins wrote, “My credit card was lost/stolen, and someone attempted to use it. Thanks for the notifications! This has been reported through my bank,” and on LinkedIn, she posted, “Thank you for all the recent notifications of scammers and profile hackers! I recently discovered a lost/missing credit card and an attempted use/purchase.”
Unfortunately for Lovins, there was actual CCTV video of her at the restaurant. Whoops!
The incident led to both Lovins being fired from her job and an upswell in support for Ricardo Nonato in his community and across the land. A GoFundMe for him has raised almost $40,000 so far.
Columbus local Anna Overman organized the fundraiser, writing:
In case it’s unclear: THESE PEOPLE WERE EATING AT A MEXICAN RESTAURANT.
They enjoyed the food. They enjoyed the service. And then, instead of tipping, they decided to show their true colors in the most disgusting way possible.
Well, guess what? Hate doesn’t win here.
The internet has already handled the people responsible (so no need to waste energy on them). This fundraiser is about lifting up Ricardo and showing him that the community stands with him.
Let’s tip him what he deserves—and then some.
Every dollar raised will go directly to Ricardo. Cazuela’s is less than 10 minutes from my house and we have been loyal customers for years. I am in contact with management and they will assist in ensuring that 100% of the funds raised go directly to Ricardo.
Good!
It should probably not shock you to discover that Stephanie Lovins also gave GoFundMe a shot, with a fundraiser titled “Stephanie’s path to accountability, reformation and second chance:”
“Stephanie Lovins deeply regrets a mistake she made that has had serious consequences on her life,” it read. “In a moment of frustration, she wrote something offensive on a restaurant receipt that she now realises was hurtful and wrong. Since then, she has faced intense backlash, lost her job and real estate license, and had to remove herself from social media due to embarrassment and harassment.”
I don’t actually think you can lose your real estate license for being a jerk to a server, even if it goes super viral and everyone hates you. (Though every state’s licensing board has its rules!) I also highly doubt that a woman in her late 40s was previously unaware that writing “I HOPE TRUMP DEPORTS YOU” instead of leaving a tip was “hurtful and wrong.”
It seems her contrition didn’t sell too well on GoFundMe either, as her fundraiser was quickly taken down following complaints from people who thought it might be bad for her to get to profit off of being a xenophobic jackass.
So far, there has yet to be any backlash-to-the-backlash in which Lovins gets a spot hosting a restaurant review show on Fox News or even a memecoin. Bill Maher didn’t set aside a moment this week to use her epic downfall as a means to chastise the Left about cancel culture (of course, it is possible that he’s just too busy planning for his upcoming dinner with Kid Rock and Donald Trump).
It’s likely that there won’t be one at all, and Lovins will be left to rehabilitate her image in her community on her own, like in olden times — probably by having to be nice to people and remembering to tip.
OPEN THREAD!
PREVIOUSLY ON WONKETTE!
