Jonathan Butler, a South African singer, disclosed that he experienced racial profiling at an American restaurant in Napa Valley.
The 60-year-old celebrity posted a photo to Instagram on August 15 detailing his interaction with the Goose & Gander restaurant’s manager in St. Helena.
Butler described how the restaurant manager followed him and his pals outside the establishment to see if they had left a tip for the server who had been bringing them food in the nearly five-minute video.
Following the event, the restaurant apologised in writing to the musician and his friends, saying that it “should never have happened.”
Jonathan Butler described his unpleasant encounter at the restaurant in the Napa Valley
Butler wrote about the day the manager of the Goose and Gander restaurant followed him and his pals to their car after they’d “had a lovely supper,” paid the check and the waiter, and left the establishment on his Instagram account.
The employee questioned whether the boss took care of the server when the singer asked if there was an issue.
Never in my life have I been followed out of a restaurant. He acted with such blatant disrespect toward me and the other patrons of the restaurant. He wouldn’t likely do it to a white person, but he felt at ease doing it to me in order to see if we were taking good care of the server. In light of this, I find it disrespectful and quite unsettling that in the Napa Valley, of all areas, where jazz restaurants are popular and tourists from all over the world visit, this guy chose to visit my car to inquire about how I handled the waiter.
The server received a large tip from the patron, according to the butler, who also said he went inside the establishment to confront the manager, who said he didn’t mean to upset anyone.
The manager’s lack of humanity when faced by the artist, the singer said, reminded him of his earlier days in South Africa.
“I’m extremely hurt. This must cease immediately. Everyone should be treated decently and humanely. We need to abandon the idea that he had the right to follow me to my car simply because of the colour of my skin and how I dressed. I’m pretty pissed off that he (the manager) would trash my friend who recommended this ‘wonderful restaurant,’ when the place came highly rated.
Jonathan’s video caused the restaurant to publicly apologise to him and announce that they would be employing outside consultants for “sensitivity training.”
Everything about Jonathan Butler
According to his official website, Jonathan Butler was the first non-white musician whose music was aired on the nation’s radio station. He was born in Cape Town, South Africa, on October 10, 1961.
Butler’s father gave him a handcrafted one-string guitar when he was very young, sparking his passion in music. His website claims that after placing first in a local talent contest, he embarked on a South African tour with a band. Jonathan also performed at large events that were reserved only for white people.
Butler gained notoriety when he signed with the Jive Records label at the age of 13 and became a British record producer like Clive Caulder. His debut song, I’ll be Home, won a South African prize comparable to the Grammys in the United States.
He then received Grammy nominations for his pop single Lies, which elevated him to the status of one of the genre’s most important figures.
Jonathan Butler married Barenese Beaton in 1982, but according to his Instagram name, they have since split up and he has been seeing someone else. Ezra Butler, Jodie Butler, and Randy Butler are the couple’s three children.