NAACP leaders in one Alabama city said the apology from a white restaurant manager who called a group of Black patrons a racial slur is only the first step toward repairing the damaged relations between the restaurant and the town’s Black community.
In a video that went viral, Jack Moltz, a manager at Nick’s in the Sticks in Tuscaloosa, was seen being confronted and accused by a white customer of calling a party of Black customers the N-word.
The customer, Hunter Sartain, stated that Moltz saw Sartain seated with the group and approached him to ask if he was “gonna consult with these n*****s.”
“Cause this is their first time experiencing, they’re friends of mine here, and then you wanna make me feel bad because I sat down at the table? And then you asked me, you asked me, if I’m gonna consult with these n*****s,” Sartain said in the video.
“Naw, naw. Bull****,” Moltz answered back in the video.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what you said. Every one of them heard it,” Sartain said while he pointed to his friends.
“No, they did not, ’cause they was all inside,” Moltz retorted.
Moltz and Nick’s in the Sticks have come under fire since the video began circulating on social media. Tuscaloosa city leaders quickly condemned Moltz’s alleged conduct, and many community members called for a restaurant boycott.
Even though Moltz initially denied Sartain’s allegations, he later confessed and apologized to the Black customers he called the slur. On Wednesday, he read off a prepared statement to local news station WVUA23.
“On Friday, July 26th, I made a statement to a white customer of the restaurant referring to African-American customers who were present as the N-word. There is no place for any person to use the N-word. There is no excuse or justification that can be made for my characterization nor the hurt it has caused,” Moltz said. “I accept all the condemnation and criticism which I have evoked, all of which is justified towards me.”
Motlz also went on to say that he apologized to all African-Americans and the community and wants to reach out to all of the Black patrons who were there that night and apologize to them personally as well.
Local NAACP leaders who initiated the calls for a boycott of the restaurant acknowledged Moltz’s apology but demanded the manager and the restaurant take “concrete actions to demonstrate their commitment to change.”
“While we appreciate Mr. Moltz’s decision to come forward and take responsibility for his actions, the Tuscaloosa County Branch NAACP remains deeply concerned about the impact of his words and the broader implications for our community,” branch president Lisa Young wrote in a statement. “The use of such a hateful racial slur, particularly by a business owner, is not only hurtful to those directly targeted but also perpetuates the systemic racism that continues to harm communities of color. We recognize that apologies can be a step toward accountability and healing. However, words alone are not enough.”
The organization demanded the restaurant complete comprehensive diversity and sensitivity training, engage with the town’s Black and marginalized communities to foster understanding and commit to ongoing efforts to combat racism in their establishment.
In the days since the incident went viral online, numerous comments were posted praising Sartain for his bravery in speaking out on behalf of the Black customers and exposing Moltz’s bigotry.
On Wednesday, Sartain posted on his Facebook page that he was “deeply saddened … to see the genuine hurt experienced by so many in our community, state, and country.”
“This was never about me. I only reacted in protection of others and what I thought was the right thing to do. I hope the recent events will allow people to see most Americans are good and desire to work together. We must make it our mission to treat each other with love, kindness, and respect,” Sartain wrote.
Moltz’s apology video, which garnered 64,000 views on Facebook, drew more than 500 comments. Many of the viewers rejected Moltz’s apology and accused him of being ingenious.
“He’s only sorry because he was caught and exposed,” one viewer said. “Now who wrote that speech cause it sure wasn’t him,” another wrote.
“The hurt it has caused is code for I’m losing money. Let me go tell him where to stick his apology,” one viewer wrote.
