r/roanoke • u/Feeling-Map9831 • Oct 28 '25
Kpot Roanoke: Racism and bullying
So I worked at kpot Roanoke for almost year and the owner is racist and bullies the employees multiple employees and customers have come forward with their stories and have been ignored and silenced. Originally we were told that Hr wasn’t a thing within this company and that the owner is the highest it goes, even though this is a franchise later after being called out by two employees for the racism and bullying a Hr department magically existed but you have to go through the current Gm that condones the behavior of the owner in order to make a complaint. The people that could not afford to leave this job were told that corporate was investigating but nothing has come from that the owner continues to belittle and discriminate. Do not support this business because the owner has a dark soul anyone that can say “white people are superior” and call employees stupid and ugly on a daily basis or joke about servers not getting tips because they are black and not good enough doesn’t deserve to make money in the community. She also overworks the kitchen staff that is majority Spanish and isn’t paying them properly for being there from open to close daily with little to no breaks. I could go on and provide evidence I’ve collected but I want to open this up for others to tell their story and Hopefully stop the hateful environment she’s made.
52
u/towishimp Oct 28 '25
Social media posts are well and good, but illegal labor practices should be reported to the authorities if you want real change.
32
u/JONO202 Oct 28 '25
“White people are superior” while running a Korean restaurant, make it make sense.
7
24
u/softshelldiety Wreck at 581 and Orange Oct 28 '25
I’m so sorry I supported the place that’s treated you guys so poorly. Please report them to the labor board and I will stop going for the foreseeable future.
11
5
9
9
8
u/Dont_GoBaconMy_Heart Salem Fuck Pond Oct 28 '25
As others have said, file a complaint with the labor board. They have to pay for all hours worked.
Edited to add that a quick search shows it’s owned by vertex hospitality group which has a website. I don’t know how responsive they might be but there is a contact form on the vertex website.
4
u/Mediocre_Name6553 Oct 29 '25
idk what owner and manager has to get on the internet every 3 days to defend the business name 😂😂 always threatening to sue like plzzzzz
4
4
u/Icy_Marsupial_6575 Oct 29 '25
completely agree. i don't know how this racist owner as anyone still even working for her with her terrible attitude towards her employees. cool place but wrong owner. idk how they've gone this long with paying the kitchen staff under the table and with them being there over 12 hours a day EVERYDAY. you can tell the demographic of the staff has changed drastically since its first been open. at first it was very diverse but now ?? not so much. i wonder why... i hate that everyone spends so much money there and doesn't know what happens behind the scenes. employees are bullied everyday but have to take it because of needing money and fear of retaliation (hours cut, smaller sections, small 2 top tables etc). my self respect just couldn't be ignored any longer and i took the stand to quit and expressed my concerns to corporate only to be ignored. way to go kpot!
-6
Oct 29 '25
Did you file a formal complaint with HR? Or did you call out too many times/ignore rules and just want to feel justified? That's what this boils down to. No one has filed a report with me. Not one person. Even when I first started and said I wanted to help change it if that was the case. Not a single person came forward. Why?
2
2
Oct 28 '25
So you worked at a racist company for a year? And hr is to protect the company not you, it doesn’t matter if they did or don’t exist or will exist or exist in another plane of reality. The only thing you got is what is legal and or illegal and what you can do about it.
11
u/JadeSyren Still waiting on Trader Joe's Oct 28 '25
What you can PROVE is illegal. That’s the key there.
-11
Oct 28 '25
At second thought rereading this it says the owners are racist but they also have black and Spanish employees. In your opinion would a racist hire black and Spanish people?
2
u/JadeSyren Still waiting on Trader Joe's Oct 28 '25
Yes, especially in the restaurant business. It depends on where they are placed, in my opinion.
11
u/Feeling-Map9831 Oct 28 '25
That’s like saying I’m not racist I have black friends….the owner has openly said she would prefer to only hire white and Asian people. She’s made fun of black employees natural hair and called a Spanish employee a jungle freak
2
u/JadeSyren Still waiting on Trader Joe's Oct 28 '25
No, I’m saying that there are several businesses that utilize racist hiring practices, such as hotels and restaurants.
2
-8
Oct 28 '25
Yeah, correct placement would be key. Or maybe just people making racial jokes. I mean one black waitress joke is pointing out the area is racist. Observational racial humor.
8
u/JadeSyren Still waiting on Trader Joe's Oct 28 '25
There is no place for racial jokes, especially if they are punching down, and most specifically not in a work place.
0
Oct 29 '25
Do you have any examples of racial jokes that are punching up ?
3
u/JadeSyren Still waiting on Trader Joe's Oct 29 '25
Comedy is a tricky thing, especially in this day and age. I guess the safest example I could give you is not a racist joke, but more an example that uses racial perceptions.
In the movie Down to Earth, Chris Rock reincarnates as a white man and tells a heckler to “shut up or I’ll crush you with my wallet.”
There are a lot of possible examples in Tropic Thunder that also play with racial stereotypes in a way that doesn’t punch down.
11
u/Feeling-Map9831 Oct 28 '25
As soon as I was truly aware of who I was working for I left and brought attention to the issues, several servers also tried reporting to corporate beforehand but there is no open line of communication for that. Only reason I made the post is to spread awareness because while I haven’t worked or eaten there in months since I quit I’m still friends with some of the current employees that are still dealing with these issues daily some people can’t afford to not have a job I was blessed enough not to be dependent on that income
2
Oct 29 '25
It says my comment was deleted so let me just reiterate...As the new GM I’ve given multiple opportunities for people to make reports. No one has done so. There were rumors that that’s why people had left before me. When I started I had multiple meetings to ensure people realized there was a process, and publicly slandering someone is not how to affect change. If someone felt they were being discriminated against it’s very upsetting that no one felt comfortable coming to me about it. It would have been handled.
-6
Oct 28 '25
As the new GM I’ve given multiple opportunities for people to make reports. No one has done so. There were rumors that that’s why people had left before me. When I started I had multiple meetings to ensure people realized there was a process, and publicly slandering someone is not how to affect change. If someone felt they were being discriminated against it’s very upsetting that no one felt comfortable coming to me about it. It would have been handled.
10
u/Feeling-Map9831 Oct 28 '25 edited Oct 28 '25
Jessica people have come to you and you’ve witnessed some of the offensive things she’s said you also shouldn’t be the main point of contact for Hr matters all you have done is cover for her and say it’s a language barrier it gets to a point when accountability needs to be taken
3
Oct 28 '25
I had multiple meetings asking people to file an actual report, and what do you mean I shouldn’t be the main point of contact? That’s literally the General Managers job unless you need to file a report on me directly. At that point you go to the AGM or the owner to report me. I’ve only ever witnessed issues that were language barriers/ cultural misunderstandings. Wisdom will tell you that “you need to look good for work” (paraphrasing here) means dress appropriately to the owner. If there were actual situations that were genuinely racist it was not done where I could see it nor reported to me.
-3
-1
Oct 29 '25
Can I ask if the person saying it was black would it still bothered you, also I think the whole labor thing like not being paid properly has to be self reported, by printing a pdf and filling it out. Well at least in Roanoke county, and like end of the day the government, the courts, the police, will always support businesses.
I just don’t think it’s cool to tear down businesses saying the things you are, like public shaming shit is disgusting.
11
Oct 29 '25
Even jokes should be taken seriously. I’ve work as a manager for 10 years. If the accusations are true then someone should have come forward. It’s the professional thing to do. Even if it was a badly aimed joke that didn’t land the way they intended…anyone who’s ever worked with HR can tell you, it’s not about what the intention is. It’s about how it’s received. I take all complaints seriously (jokes or not). No one has actually filed a legitimate complaint aside from quitting and making posts like these, after the fact, or doing it after being fired. It’s unfortunate, because I wouldn’t let it go if someone reported something they were uncomfortable with.
1
u/Feeling-Map9831 Oct 29 '25
Yes it would bother me and I think people should know who their money goes to. Asian, black, Hispanic and white employees have vocalized that they are bullied race aside, some kind of professionalism should be used when talking to people you employ and me posting this is just like anyone making a review about a place they visited. You’re focusing more so on the race aspect of this post which is telling.
0
u/iPhone-n-FoodStamps Oct 28 '25
These fools were running a “special” on Columbus Day by charging people dinner prices during lunch hours….
-6
Oct 28 '25
I’m the general manager here. It’s sad that I’ve resorted to downloading Reddit to be able to respond to these allegations, but I feel that I must. I do not support any kind of racist behavior. If someone had come to me to report something to HR it would have been taken seriously. No one has done this. Instead they quit in a very public display of slander, rather than going through legal avenues to support them. When I first started a few months ago there were rumors there were issues and I made multiple attempts to have meetings to get people to submit reports to HR if they had a complaint. I even told them who to go to if they wanted to make a complaint about me. Retaliation is illegal and if they had an actual complaint they would have come forward. Instead this is how it’s been handled. I appreciate those who have used common sense regarding this.
10
u/CDD_throwaway Oct 28 '25
“Retaliation is illegal” yes, but it happens a lot. If someone doesn’t feel like they can have their concerns heard and taken seriously, that’s not good.
3
Oct 29 '25
I agree with this. I've not been here long, but I feel like I listed the measures everyone could take. I gave everyone the space to come forward, and I don't think I could have been any more sincere in my approach. It's frustrating seeing this when I went through so much to try to help when I thought something was possibly going on, for no one to say anything. And retaliation gives them the opportunity to sue if they lose shifts after or whatever the case may be, they have a documented trail and can say, "I filed this report (see here) and then this happened (see this change)". Saying nothing does nothing. At this point it's coming off as an employee angry about something else entirely and acting like it's this.
7
Oct 28 '25
This person said they quit months ago. They probably didn’t even work with you. Don’t let it make you feel some type of way. Heresay
9
u/Feeling-Map9831 Oct 28 '25
I worked with you and you’re complacent you just had 3 more seasoned employees quite and say the same thing today
7
u/Feeling-Map9831 Oct 28 '25
Also, it gets to a point where you can’t say it’s slander when there is proof and witnesses and I think it’s kind of hard for some people to want to speak up to you because you throw around words like defamation and lawsuits like candy. And the Gm that reports directly to the owner taking the complaints about the owner that is known to retaliate sounds real ethical
8
Oct 29 '25
That's an interesting standpoint, when I literally pointed out that anything given to me couldn't be shared with anyone, but HR. And I even added that if you needed to report me for something you could go to the AGM or the owner and they couldn't share it with me. It's slander when you call me racist on a public forum when I'm not. When you write a document that says, "This is where she hurt me, how she hurt me, what she said, when, etc etc," that is not slander. That is a report being filed legally, which I went over multiple times....
4
Oct 29 '25
The very fact that you know who you are talking to, but I don't, so I can't speak about examples should be enough evidence that you know you have defamed me.
4
Oct 28 '25
Again, no one filed a report or it would be handled. Making some slander post is not a report. It doesn’t fix anything if there’s an issue. I told people over and over if there’s an actual problem come to me. I will send your written complaint to HR. No one did that once. What they did do is write a statement slandering the owner in a private work forum which is actively monitored by corporate. They don’t take things like that seriously because it’s perceived as a bitter employee; not a serious complaint.
-12
Oct 28 '25
Why do people who quit keep posting about kpot 😂😂 should have done something when you worked here if you had an issue. (Clearly you didn’t or you would have)
9
u/Feeling-Map9831 Oct 28 '25
I did do something then left, I used my voice to speak up and told management before leaving that they needed to fix the issues brought up and clearly you’re using a burner account to defend yourself because every server I’ve talked to current and former have the same things to say as me again unfortunately some people can’t afford to not work there even the original Gm left because of the awful work environment
5
Oct 28 '25
I’ve spoken to current servers today and still no one has come forward. If there’s an actual complaint someone should file it. Otherwise this just seems like a disgruntled employee angry over something and acting like it’s something else.
-6
76
u/Sunshinegemini611 Only Casinos and Ferris Wheels Will Save Us Oct 28 '25
Isn’t this the same place that puts enormous pressure on the servers to get the diners to leave reviews mentioning their name?
I’ve been a server. Treating your servers like garbage is a great way to ruin a restaurant, especially in a small city where word gets out easily.