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MIAMI (WFOR) — A Taco Rico franchise owner is apologizing after he was captured on video using a racial slur during a confrontation following Sunday’s World Cup match.
The incident happened at a World Cup watch party near 72nd Street and Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, according to police.
Video shows two people wearing Argentina jerseys arguing with a man wearing a Mexico jersey. During the confrontation, one of the men is heard shouting the N-word at the man in the Mexico jersey.
The man seen using the slur is the franchise owner of the Taco Rico location in West Kendall.
The incident has since sparked widespread backlash online, with negative reviews flooding the restaurant’s Google page and lowering its overall rating.
However, the fallout is also affecting other Taco Rico locations.
Tato Gonzalez, who owns the Taco Rico in Homestead, said customers are mistakenly blaming his independently owned restaurant for the incident.
“Basically, they blame it on Taco Rico itself, and what they don’t know is, for example, Taco Rico Homestead is my location, and he owns his own location with his wife,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said the backlash has had a significant impact on his business, pointing to the negative reviews now appearing on his restaurant’s Google page.
“It’s affecting us tremendously, and we work very hard,” Gonzalez said. “Everybody knows if you go into my Google and you see the reviews that we have, you’ll see the type of food, not just the food, but we actually give an experience to the customer.”
Late Monday afternoon, the West Kendall Taco Rico owner sent CBS News Miami a statement apologizing for his actions.
“I used a racist and hurtful slur, and there is no excuse for it. I am deeply sorry, and I owe a direct apology to the Black community, who I hurt with my words, along with everyone else who was rightfully harmed by my poor actions. That language is wrong, it does not reflect who I want to be, and I take full responsibility for it.” the statement said in part.
It continues saying:
“I also apologize to my family, my employees, my fellow franchisees, and this community I have served for more than 10 years. My words do not reflect them, and they should not bear any consequence for my actions.
The team members at the West Kendall franchise are community members with families of their own. They played no part in this situation, and they do not deserve any hostility, harsh judgment, or retaliation. I ask the public to allow our innocent staff and other locations to continue their work in peace.
I am committed to doing the work to be better, including anti-racism education, and to earning back the trust I’ve broken. To everyone I’ve hurt, I am sorry.”
A separate video circulating online shows the man wearing the Mexico jersey being handcuffed.
However, Miami Beach police say that video does not show the full context of what happened.
CBS News Miami obtained exclusive body-worn camera video from Miami Beach police, providing another vantage point of the interaction.
Police said they had increased their presence throughout the city for World Cup celebrations and were able to quickly spot the disturbance and investigate.
No one was arrested, according to police.
Christopher Bess with the Miami Beach Police Department said the man in the Mexico jersey told officers he was an influencer and was live streaming the confrontation.
CBS News Miami has not independently verified that man’s identity.
Gonzalez said he hopes the incident does not continue to affect other Taco Rico franchise owners.
“I hope that this stops, number one, and number two, that he recognizes what he did wrong,” Gonzalez said.
Taco Rico corporate also sent CBS News Miami a statement, saying the West Kendall franchise owner is under formal review and calling the language used “racist and indefensible.”
The full statement reads as follows:
Taco Rico Corporate is aware of the video showing the franchisee and owner of our West Kendall location, using a racial slur. We want to be unequivocal: this language is racist, indefensible, and has no place in our company or our communities.
The West Kendall franchise is under formal review by Taco Rico Corporate. This review will assess the franchisee’s continued fitness to operate under our brand, in accordance with the terms of our Franchise Agreement, and will determine what corrective actions are warranted.
Taco Rico was built more than 34 years ago on the principle that every guest, employee, and community member is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of race, ethnicity, or background.
We recognize that words alone are not enough. We are taking direct, concrete steps, and we will update our guests, franchise owners, employees, and community as this review progresses.
To the Black community and to everyone who was rightfully angered and hurt by this video: we hear you, we stand with you, and we are acting on it.
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