Jonathan Butler, a South African musician, stated that he was racially profiled at an American restaurant in Napa Valley. On August 15, the 60-year-old actor took to Instagram to share his experience with the manager of St. Helena’s Goose and Gander restaurant. Butler recounted in the almost five-minute video how the restaurant’s manager followed him and his pals outside the restaurant to see whether they had tipped the waiter who was giving them meals. The eatery has already apologized to the musician and his pals, saying the event “should never have occurred.”
Jonathan Butler described his bad experience at the Napa Valley eatery.
Butler described the event on Instagram, saying that the manager of the Goose and Gander restaurant followed him and his companions to their vehicle after they “had a lovely supper,” paid the bill and the waiter, and left the restaurant. When the singer asked the manager if there was a problem, the worker inquired if he was in charge of the server.
“I’ve never been followed out of a restaurant before.” He was disrespectful to me and everyone else who ate at the restaurant. I don’t believe he’d do that to a white person, but he felt comfortable doing it to me to see if we were taking care of the server. With that stated, it’s disrespectful and really troubling to me that in Napa Valley, of all locations, where jazz restaurants attract visitors from all over the globe, this person chose to come to my vehicle to see whether I took care of the waiter.”
Butler added that he generously tipped the waitress and that he went inside the restaurant to confront the manager, who replied that he did not want to upset anybody. When challenged by the musician, the manager showed little sympathy, reminding him of his days in South Africa.
“I’m deeply hurt. This needs to stop. Everyone should be treated with dignity and kindness. We have to do away with the idea that he has the right to follow me out to my vehicle merely because of the color of my skin and the way I dress. The restaurant came highly recommended, and I’m furious that he (the manager) would trash my buddy who suggested this ‘wonderful restaurant.’”
Following the release of Jonathan’s video, the restaurant made a public apology, indicating that they would be engaging outside experts for “sensitivity training.”
Everything about Jonathan Butler
Jonathan Butler was born on October 10, 1961, in Cape Town, South Africa, and is the first non-white singer whose songs were aired on the country’s radio station, according to his official website. Butler’s passion for music began at a young age when his father gave him a handcrafted one-string guitar. According to his website, he won a local talent competition and went on a South African tour with a musical ensemble. Jonathan also played at large concerts that were solely open to white people.
Butler came to notoriety after signing with British record producer Clive Caulder’s company, Jive Records, at the age of 13. His debut hit, I’ll Be Home, won a South African honor equivalent to the Grammys. He went on to get Grammy nominations for his pop smash Lies, making him one of pop music’s most influential performers. On the personal front, Jonathan Butler married Barenese Beaton in 1982 but has since divorced and is seeing another lady, according to his Instagram name. Ezra Butler, Jodie Butler, and Randy Butler are the couple’s three children.