Waitress who called out Silicon Valley CEO for hurling racist abuse at Asian family doesn't accept his apology

A waitress who kicked out a Silicon Valley CEO from a restaurant after he hurled racist abuse at an Asian family has said she doesn't "believe a word" of his apology.

Michael Lofthouse, the CEO and founder of tech company Solid8, was caught on camera verbally attacking Jordan Chan and her family while they were out celebrating her aunt's birthday.

The incident, took place at Bernardus Lodge and Spa's Lucia restaurant in Carmel Valley on July 4, saw Lofthouse describe the family as a "f***ing Asian piece of s***".

Waitress Gennica Cochran yelled at Mr Lofthouse to "get out" of the restaurant as she defended the customers.

"You do not talk to our guests like that," said Ms Cochran. She added that Ms Chan and her family were "valued guests" as she ordered Mr Lofthouse to leave.

The video was shared widely online, including by pop star Kelly Clarkson, and prompted widespread condemnation.

Lofthouse, who appears to have deactivated his LinkedIn and social media accounts after the incident, later issued an apology for his "appalling" behaviour.

But Ms Cochran has said she doesn't believe a word of the CEO's statement.

Mr Lofthouse told the Daily Mail: "My behaviour in the video is appalling. This was clearly a moment where I lost control and made incredibly hurtful and divisive comments.

"I would like to deeply apologise to the Chan family. I can only imagine the stress and pain they feel.

"I was taught to respect people of all races, and I will take the time to reflect on my actions and work to better understand the inequality that so many of those around me face every day."

Ms Cochran told KGO-TV that it was the "standard issue apology that you get from racists."

She said: "People who believe those things and they get called out for them. I don't believe a word of it."

The waitress called on customers to be kind to their servers as their job is not always easy.

"You don't come in here and say those kinds of things to people. Especially people feel so raw coming out of quarantine.

"Stand up against racism and hatred in any form any time you can."

A number of GoFundMe pages have been set up to send Ms Cochran tips.

A spokeswoman for GoFundMe told Newsweek that its Trust and Safety team is working with the campaign organisers "to ensure that funds go directly to Gennica Cochran."

Ms Chan wrote on Instagram that he had begun harassing her family "unprovoked" soon after they sang happy birthday to her aunt. Aside from the comments caught on camera, she said he also told them to "go back to whatever f***ing Asian country you're from" and "you don't belong here".

She wrote: "This is the face of the man who relentlessly harassed my family and I completely UNPROVOKED, UNWARRANTED, and UNCONSCIONABLE.

"We were celebrating my tita’s birthday, literally just singing happy birthday to her and taking pictures, when this white supremacist starts yelling disgusting racist remarks at us."

Sean Damery, the lodge's vice president and general manager, said in a statement to KION: "This is an extremely unfortunate situation, however, we are proud of our staff at Lucia in keeping with Bernardus Lodge's core values.

"This incident was handled swiftly and the diner was escorted off property without further escalation. We provide guests with a safe environment for lodging and dining, and extend our sincere apologies to the guests enjoying a birthday celebration on a holiday weekend."

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