Sydney Café Owner Who Refused to Hire a Black Man Closes Doors
The Darlinghurst café that refused to hire a black man has shut its doors.
Forbes and Burton café owner Steven Hu made headlines after Brazilian-born Australian Nilson Dos Santos was refused a job because of his skin colour.
Dos Santos told the Daily Mail Australia that Hu only took one look at him during his job interview before making up his mind not to hire him. Apparently, Hu’s customers are primarily white people who wouldn’t want their “coffee made by black people.”
Hu admitted that he told Dos Santos he couldn’t hire him because he is black, telling the paper, “We need to offer good service at this café and I think the coffee culture is more about white people.”
The owner is originally from China who arrived in Australia nine months ago. He needs to run his business for two years to successfully secure a visa in the country.
Read: Outrage After Sydney Café Owner Refuses Barista a Job Because He is Black
The coffee shop has since been plagued with outraged people who bombard its Facebook page with criticisms and pelted the establishment with eggs. Many customers have also boycotted it.
“The man who was looking for employment was an Australian regardless of his colour and you yourself are an immigrant yet you discriminate against those who have shared their country with you,” a Facebook user wrote. “To state that Australians don’t want their coffee from a black man not only insults him but Australian’s [sic] attitude too when we are striving for racial equality and have reached out to Asians such as yourself and other ethnicities.”
“We done Mr Hu you just screwed up an excellent investment to satisfy your racism. Being Asian myself I am embarrassed and ashamed as people like Mr Hu make the rest of us look bad,” another one wrote.
The shop has apparently closed down on Tuesday with no explanation. It’s unclear if it’s a temporary or permanent shut down.
Dos Santos, meanwhile, has been inundated with job offers from more than 20 employers, according to the Daily Mail Australia.
The Fair Work Ombudsman continues to investigate the matter.