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Customer complains about anti-racist shirt, gets roasted by the internet

A man tried to shame a restaurant for a server’s anti-racist shirt, and it completely backfired.

anti-racism, restaurant review, fairbanks alaska, viral tweet, social justice, etsy shirts, black-owned businesses, racism, chowder house, positive backlash

The anti-racist shirt

Reddit
GOOD Staff
By GOOD StaffMay 15, 2025
GOOD Staff
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When a customer left a negative review of a restaurant because of a server’s shirt that said “Hi. Don’t be racist. Thanks,” he probably didn’t expect the internet to clap back quite this hard.

The incident took place at The Chowder House in Fairbanks, Alaska, where a server—who goes by @bryantinak on X—wore a shirt carrying that short and powerful message. After the review was posted, @bryantinak shared it on social media along with a selfie in the now-famous shirt. “Someone complained about me wearing my favorite shirt today on our Facebook page, now I can't wear it at work anymore :.(,” they wrote.

The reviewer, Jason Lassiter, complained, “As a customer I'd prefer not to have your employees' ideologies plastered on his t-shirt... This isn't a professional shirt for work and will be the last time I visit your establishment.”


That might’ve been the end of it—except the internet had other plans.

"Someone complained about me wearing my favorite shirt today on our Facebook page, now I can't wear it at work anymore :.("
— @bryantinak

As soon as Lassiter's review hit Facebook, commenters began roasting him for taking issue with a message as basic as “don’t be racist.” According to @bryantinak, "So many people direct messaged the guy that he deleted his bad review."

anti-racism, restaurant review, fairbanks alaska, viral tweet, social justice, etsy shirts, black-owned businesses, racism, chowder house, positive backlashAshamed man hidesmedia1.tenor.com

Some couldn’t help but point out the irony of calling a shirt that politely discourages racism “unprofessional.” One user wrote, “That's actually an extremely professional shirt. How much more professional can you get?”

What made things more confusing was that @bryantinak initially thought they were being reprimanded by management for wearing the shirt—understandably so, given the timing of the comment during a busy shift. But they later clarified:

"Talked to my bosses. They were upset at the customer for making an absurd complaint... They have no problem with me wearing the shirt and actually urge me to continue to if I wish to do so."
— @bryantinak

That’s when the tide really turned. Not only did Lassiter’s comment disappear, but The Chowder House's Facebook page began receiving a flood of positive reviews. One person wrote, "Great place. Lets its employees be decent human beings."

anti-racism, restaurant review, fairbanks alaska, viral tweet, social justice, etsy shirts, black-owned businesses, racism, chowder house, positive backlashCommenters had thoughtsReddit

Another praised the food and the message: “Came for the anti-racism, stayed for the chowder… I had delicious racism-free salmon chowder and I'll certainly be back next time I visit.”

"Came for the anti-racism, stayed for the chowder."
— Facebook reviewer

@bryantinak mentioned they originally got the shirt from an Etsy shop, but that it seemed like “some fast fashion Etsy bulls--t.” They recommended instead buying similar designs from Black-owned businesses and even shared links to several apparel fundraisers and activist shops.

black owned business, anti-racism, restaurant review, fairbanks alaska, viral tweet, social justiceBlack owned business signCanva

The backlash to Lassiter's review raises an important point—why is saying "don't be racist" considered "ideological" or "controversial" by some people? If a simple request for basic human decency reads as offensive, it's worth pausing to consider why.

Thankfully, it sounds like The Chowder House knows where it stands. And so does its staff.

This article originally appeared five years ago.

anti-racismrestaurant reviewfairbanks alaskaviral tweetsocial justiceblack-owned businessesracismchowder housepast events

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