There are some things that do not change with time or place, and that is ageism towards the elderly in society. Those who are still functional often forget that the similar fate waits for them too. A prime example of such was seen in New York restaurant recently.
A group of 7 old ladies who are all residents of a local senior living facility decided to go out for lunch in Watervliet, New York.
They visited Deacon Blues Restaurant for a pleasant afternoon of a good meal and good gossip. However, someone at the establishment was apparently too fumed by the presence of elderly customer that they wrote “Old B*tches” on their receipt and handed over to them.
Unbeknownst to them, the ladies left post-lunch and only discovered this derogatory term once they reached their facility. This prompted 87-year-old Kiera DiNuzzo to speak up against this attack. Kiera was the one who organized this gathering and took it upon herself to demand answers for such behaviour.
She also mentioned that they might have upset someone at the restaurant as they were a smaller party than the original reservation, and that was due to some last-minute cancellations. She assured everyone that even then, ladies were courteous and apologised.
DiNuzzo made the Facebook post on the restaurant’s review page and clarified that none of their actions warrant this kind of response from any of the employees at the establishment.
She also mentioned that this was not a slip-up from the restaurant’s side, as this slur was written on each of their receipts.
Once the review was posted, the deacon blues management sprang into action. They have since issued a public apology. A representative of the establishment has said that the owners are currently on vacation, but they have been informed of the incident and they are “genuinely mortified” upon learning of it. Representatives and owners have assured the community that one employee of theirs does not reflect their sentiments or values.
The restaurant has also promised that they will take appropriate action against the party involved once the owners are back.
People at Deacon Blues have also reached out to DiNuzzo for a private sit-down to discuss the matter further.
One of the owners also posted to Facebook. They pleaded with their patrons and community members not to judge the entire restaurant based on the actions of one disrespectful and disgruntled employee. They said that they are ashamed and apologized.
Dissing someone by calling them “old” is weird to me. I mean, isn’t that the goal? Don’t we all WANT to keep living? And if you keep living, won’t you get there, too? You’re “clowning” someone for being something that you will soon be if you keep living? pic.twitter.com/j8AOraU8Hw
— Karen Hunter (@karenhunter) February 17, 2025
The community’s reaction has been as expected- swift and impassioned. Many locals expressed disbelief that such a term would be used to describe elderly patrons and anger at the behavior. DiNuzzo’s post has garnered an immediate wave of criticism towards the business.
Deacon Blues has temporarily disabled the review section on its Facebook page. This is probably to control the community backlash and to calm the people down. This move will definitely reduce the immediate volume of negative public feedback. Yet the restaurant would need to come up with action to show their sincerity and accountability.
Advocates for senior rights have taken up the incident as a call to action. Many people have requested that several other businesses in the area train their employees better to serve the vulnerable elders of society.
