A longtime restaurant server at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) was stunned after discovering a hateful message left by two customers in place of a tip.
Guillermo Ortiz, who worked at the Planet Hollywood inside the Tom Bradley International Terminal, recalled the unsettling moment at the end of his shift on March 21. After serving a couple, he later opened the checkbook and found a handwritten note scrawled across the top of the receipt:
“No tip for illegals. Go back to Mexico.”
Ortiz, originally from Puerto Rico, said the message deeply hurt him—not just because of its offensive nature but because of the assumptions behind it.
“I’m not even Mexican, but my wife is. It doesn’t matter where someone is from—no one deserves to be treated this way,” Ortiz told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo.
He explained that the interaction with the couple had seemed normal until he brought their check. Though an 18.5% gratuity was included in the bill, customers could opt out of paying it, which Ortiz said they did before leaving behind the offensive remark.
“The way they looked at me, I could tell something wasn’t right,” he said.
Because the customers paid in cash, Ortiz had no way to track them down.
Ortiz believes that increasing tensions around immigration policies may be fueling such behavior.
“This is happening because of everything going on with President Trump right now,” he said. “People feel emboldened.”
Despite the upsetting incident, Ortiz remains proud of his work and the way he provides for his family.
“I’m a server. This is how I support my kids, how I support my family. No note can take that away from me,” he said.
Ortiz reported the situation to management, and corporate representatives are reviewing the incident. However, his time at Planet Hollywood is ending regardless, as the LAX location is set to permanently close this Saturday.
