Racial Profiling and Harassment at Hu…
Racial Profiling and Harassment at Hu Firenze Restaurant Partner Vivandaio
I had a deeply distressing experience I encountered at restaurant, Vivandaio, on Friday. I had paid for the place with full breakfast, which required wearing a yellow wristband for staff identification. Despite this, I was subjected to racial profiling and public humiliation by a member of your staff.
On the morning in question, after having my room number checked by the staff member at the entrance, another staff member approached me in the breakfast lounge. This individual challenged the legitimacy of my access, insisting on escorting me to the entrance and publicly shaming me in front of other guests. This was not only unnecessary but extremely degrading.
When my partner learned of this incident, she approached the staff member to express our concerns. Shockingly, he lied, claiming that I had merely been asking how to make a coffee. This was patently untrue, as I had already made several coffees over the two days of our stay.
The harassment continued at our table, with the staff member visibly upset that I had reported his behavior to the hotel. I then spoke to the manager, Pedro,the following day who instinctively defended his staff. He made several inappropriate remarks, including an assumption about my ethnicity and a nonsensical excuse about my wristband being obscured by my sleeves—despite the fact that I was wearing a t-shirt in 33-degree Celsius weather.
Pedro further added that the employee in question was not mentally sound but insisted he was not racist, mentioning that he works with children and has communication issues. These justifications were both alarming and irrelevant to the racial profiling incident. When I requested the owner’s work email to make a formal complaint, Pedro lied, claiming the owner uses a personal email address and thus it could not be shared. This statement is not only implausible but also likely a violation of the EU GDPR law, which prohibits the use of personal email addresses for business communications involving client and payment information.
Pedro then accused me of driving him crazy for simply asking for the email address and raised his voice at my partner, an unacceptable display of aggression and disrespect. Eventually, the director of the hotel provided me with the proper work email address, contradicting Pedro’s earlier assertion.
When I spoke with the owner of the restaurant, he apologized on behalf of the staff but made an odd assumption that I wanted the employee fired, stating that his contract was ending next month anyway. This assumption was unnecessary and unprofessional.
I am still awaiting a written apology from the restaurant. This incident has marred what should have been a pleasant stay, and I am seeking assurances that such behavior will not be tolerated in the future. A thorough review of staff conduct and appropriate training on racial sensitivity and customer service are urgently needed.
I look forward to your prompt response and a formal written apology from the restaurant and the hotel and a response from [link removed]
I’m 26 and this experience made me question my existence in a world like this. I intentionally skipped breakfast at that hotel all the following days until I left. I found myself listening to black or white by Micheal Jackson by processing the lyrics unlike I used to as a child dancing to its rhythm.