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well i am a black woman and i don't mind being described as such - in fact i kinda like 'hot black woman' which is what i was once described as ( good boost to the ego). Yes the pub should use table numbers but why oh why are the couple annoyed about being described as what they are?

- Kh, London UK

Racist.....how? A better method....maybe.

They err are black and they err were a couple on the night. There's no inflammatory language, the staff weren't to assume they would be alone the whole duration of their stay. If describing black people as black (after a generation of educating people not to use 'coloured' and other aged descriptions) is now wrong, then I assume next Years MOBO awards will be boycotted by all people of colour on principle.......right?

- Swarb, Gillingham - England

Since when is it racist to describe someone? If it said "blck - serve slowly" or "blck - make sure you spit in it" then all this outcry would be called for. There was no actually discrimination carried out here. "Black" isn't an offensive term.

- Lisa Carpenter, Leicestershire, England

It happened to me in India where it had' white couple' on the bill. Did not bother me at all. What is happening to this country. There are so many big issues going on in the world and people being so sensitive.

- Will, soho

Dave and Chris, The waitress must have taken the food to their table upstairs after they had ordered it. Could she not remember a table number for the few minutes it takes to walk downstairs and put it on their bill? The restaurant was just about empty. It's not as if she was overwhelmed with orders.

- Patricia, LONDON

A rose is a rose by any other name... as long as there's no malice. We can learn from the United colours of Benetton's advert that a picture paints a thousand words.

- Rolando, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This is blatantly not racism, if I was labeled white then I wouldn't be offended in the slightest.

- Gemma Toy, Exeter

Oh what a shame that neither of them was a 'baldy'

- Richard, London

The comment was not racist at all, I used to work in a restaurant and we often call tables by adjectives, "the chineses", "the italians", and customers didn't bother. Wasn't it another excuse to get something free or cheaper?

- Marlon, London

Nowadays you don't need to have table numbers. You give people a jug with a big wooden spoon in it that has the order number and they take it to where they want to sit.

- Peace Maker, Battersea

Talk about making a meal of it!

- Freddo, London

In reference to all the sarcastic posts suggesting the Slug and Lettuce uses table numbers (cue smug sense of self satisfaction), I suggest those posters actually read the article!

They placed their order downstairs, before going to sit upstairs, and therefore didn't have a designated table number! Read the article before you post in future, please!

- Chris, London

Well I suppose it would be alright then to describe me as short, fat **** if that helps to distinguish me from other people in the restaurant!!

- Maya - London, London

- Stuart, London

You need to read the article, it says they ordered at the bar without a table number, if they had given the staff a table number like most people do then this problem would not have arisen.

- David, London

I found 'stroppy Irish cow' on my bill (which I refused to pay) because there was a hair in my spag. bol. I laughed my head off, went home with a bottle of pinot(not paid for)having shook the Managers hand and thought 'tomorrow is another day!)

- Mj, East Anglia

Tables are usually numbered in restaurants - is there a problem using this method to identify customers at the Slug and Lettuce. Much easier than coming up with inappropriate "Cluedo" type descriptions of their customers.

- Patricia, LONDON

Having owned a resturant in the past, I know that even if the table had a number. a desciption of the dining couple would always be used. Being black and british born myself I know for a fact that nothing is wrong with being called "Black", unlike in the US where they have "African-American" in the 80s Black-Briton" was coined but wasn't popular so we either make do with "Brits of African extraction" or even better simply "Black".

- Rasheed, Edgware

I see nothing wrong with what the restaurant did. And I would suggest that the waitress, who probably gets far less in wages than the complaining couple, was only following company policy. It seems very high handed to insist she also apologise. However, it would be a good idea for future use if people ordering at the bar were given a number which they confirmed when the meal was brought upstairs. That way, even easy to upset people wouldn't want to take matters futher, I presume. To Callum and Loli of London, I would mildly note that the English were amongst the first to realise that slavery of any person was not a good thing and fight against it. The slaves were often betrayed into slavery by their own people. White persons were often traded as slaves. And today slavery still exists all over the world, but is not condoned by this country which does its best to eradicate it when found on these shores. Today, in this country people of different ethnicity and attitudes are so often treated far better than in other countries, with a great deal of concern, time and effort and money going into achieving this, so while no one can rest on laurels, please try and be happy. Now is also a good time to remember that the government is always asking us to define our ethnicity on their endless forms, thus setting a precedent.

- Helen, norwich

'Merely descriptive' it may be, but it's unecessary. I've never seen reason to describe anyone using their skin colour. What's the problem with getting their name if they couldn't remember the table number? If it happened in my part of the country, I can understand - people are fairly racist and yokel-minded. There's no excuse for being like that in London, which has been multicultural for 2 centuries or more....

- Anil, glos

Read this story properly. This is NOT racism.

The couple ordered AT THE BAR, with no table number. The bar staff, with no clue as to whether there was anyone upstairs, had to describe these people for the waiter/waitress delivering the food to identify them.

Also, even if the place was deserted, what if other people went upstairs to eat after this couple placed their order?

The Slug obviously was trying to help this couple by letting them order food without sending them upstairs to get a table number and then returning to the bar.

If the tables are not numbered, the only way to avoid offending such oversensitive people is to give them a token of some kind to display to the wait staff.

But I repeat, this is NOT racism.

- Bowden, UK

In this highly sophisticated world we live with great advances in so many areas of life, wouldn't table numbering haved helped...just a thought

- Stuart, London

Callum, London Brits have never been a persecuted minority, and were not subjected to slavery and dehumanisation for hundreds of years

so what do you consider Roman occupation to be...?

- Ade, London

The headline seems to suggest that this would be okay if the restaurant had been busy. Why don't the Slug simply use table numbers rather than descriptions that people may find offensive?

- Baron Von Mobro, F

"White Brits have never been a persecuted minority, and were not subjected to slavery and dehumanisation for hundreds of years, ergo, racism is not an equally measured scale."

Well, yes we have. Who do you think provided the child labour for cotton mills in the North West in the 18th and 19th Century? Who was forced to farm the lands and fight in the armies under feudal lords and land-owners?

The vast majority of Anglo-saxons in this country will have ancestors that have been indentured slaves.

- E G D Wright, Hull

Racist, I wasn't there, no comment
Insensitive, definately
Unprofessional, oh yes!

Anyways, I think the biggest faux pas here is taking your loved one for a celebratory dinner at Slug and Lettace?

- Decency, London, UK

I agree it is inappropriate in this day and age. Its a shame it happened to what seem like a nice young couple and given the current law if they think it is racist then it must be treated as so. I think a lot of people in the post racism Obama world will more then likely see it as descriptive though and making life easier for a minimum wage waitress trying to do a tough job. Funnily enough if she had stuffed up their order or taken the meals to the wrong table the company would not care less.

- Stuz Graz, Wimbledon, London

blown out of all proportion.

- Mike, london,uk

I agree with the comments. Years ago I discovered that a teacher had written mini descriptions by our names on the register to help her sort out who was who in her new class. I was quite affronted to discover that I was down as "Sandy Plaits".

- Mary, London, UK

I dined with a Spanish friend in Spain, I can't speak the local language other than the usual thank you, please etc but wanted the bill as I wanted to pay for my guests. The bill arrived at the table with " tonto idiota ingles " written at the bottom in large letters. Pretty accurate and funny at the time but not worthy of a piece in the newspaper. This pair should get over themselves, it was a description not a slur.

- Cratchet, HOLTON LE CLAY.

It's PC gone mad now, I am Chinese and if someone put Chinese couple I have no problem with that.
If I was White and someone put White couple, I would not be offended either.

- Smithfields, Kent

It will take a very long time for people to stop being racist in this country. It is ingrained. Previous generations were brainwashed.

I think a BIG FAT fine should be given to establishments where people of other ethnic backgrounds are discriminated. This would help to "educate" them towards racial equality.

I bet they would learn how to add to their staff training sessions a point on how to treat ALL customers in a civilised manner.

- Loli, London UK

It’s not Racism but it is ignorance. Though annoying for the couple the fact that they have let it ruin their whole evening is a little over the top.

- Rachroo, London

Waiters/waitresses taking orders usually write a description of the people at the table to avoid confusion when bringing the order to the table. "Black couple" in this context is not being used in a derogatory or racist manner, it is being used descriptively, in the same way that "ginger" or "elderly" might be used. They might have been the only couple there at the time, but the chances are that more people would arrive.

- Pam, East Kent, UK

I agree this <i>probably<i> isn't an intentionally racist comment, however the language used is highly unprofessional, and the couple dining have every right to suggest it could have been racist.

On another note, please can people stop using the stupid excuse "if it was a white person nobody would have complained" when any black person suggests racism. White Brits have never been a persecuted minority, and were not subjected to slavery and dehumanisation for hundreds of years, ergo, racism is not an equally measured scale.

- Callum, London

Stop blowing it out of proportion, it is merely descriptive. In that high paced environment how else was the waitress to identify you.

- Tad Orman, London, Hammersmith

I agree it´s inappropriate. But with little time and no table number the waitress prob just jotted down the first thing that came to mind. I´ve used "ugly nose" and "smells like hell" on occasion. And the restaurants offer of free meal and champagne isn´t bad stuff as appologies go.

- Juma, london, uk

It was just a description on the bill to ensure it went to the right people. If a white couple dine in Lagos where they would be the minority, putting "white couple upstairs" would signify exactly which couple should receive the food/bill since, given statistically how many whites exist there, it would be a good indication. Stop making everything into a race issue and forcing people to treat every minority with kid-gloves - it just breeds more of the mindless bigots we so much seek to eliminate.

- Rl, London

Perhaps the staff were assuming that more people were about to come in. If the next couple were black too they might have been described as 'bald man and girl with glasses'. 'White' isn't usually a useful memory aid as they are the majority. When is this ridiculous fashion for taking offence going to end?

- Jay, London, UK.

I found "bldy" on my bill once.
Perhaps thats because I is bald.

- Mark H, London, England

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