Orland Oasis

I’m giving this place one star in hopes that the owner will contact me. I ate breakfast at this establishment this morning and what happened to me there was unacceptable. The food was very tasty, the waitress was very sweet, but there should be some sort of policy in place to either comp the meal of someone who is harassed, or to throw out rowdy obnoxious patrons, or both. I will never go back to your restaurant again, which is a damn shame, because the food was very good.
Here is an excerpt of what I wrote up this morning after dining at Orland oasis:
Well, I decided to take the day off because I had an appointment at the sleep clinic mid morning. I thought great! I get to have some alone time, maybe practice a little self care, treat myself. After the appointment I decided to try a restaurant I’ve been wondering about for a few weeks. It had really good reviews, it’s a small diner, I usually enjoy those little hole in the wall places.
I sit down, order my food. There’s a group of six very large men sitting a few feet away from me (this place only had maybe eight tables). They start to get really loud and I realize they’re not very kind people. The first thing I heard them talking about was Drew Peterson. A former police officer that murdered multiple wives. They’re talking about how they should let him out of prison. As someone who works in the criminal justice system and as a survivor of domestic violence I try to ignore them.
Another man comes in that doesn’t know them but sits at the table between us. The group of men start to tell jokes. First about Muslims. They argue about the number of virgins you get when you die. One says he uses the Qur’an to wipe his ass. Then they move on to Jews. «What’s the difference between a Jew and a canoe?» one says to the other. «A canoe tips.» They all chuckle heartily and then I heard one tell a story about how a black man (you can imagine the racial slur they used) allegedly left a 67 cent tip for someone one night. I’m so uncomfortable at this point I’m practically inhaling my food so i can get out of there.
The man sitting at the table between us gets up to leave and one of the guys at the big table tells him «hey, you see that gray Hyundai out there? Pull that sticker off the car on your way out.» The men at the big table, the lone guy and I are the only ones in the diner besides the waitress and cook, so it’s pretty obvious who owns the gray Hyundai. The lone guy looks bewildered. The man explains that it’s a Bernie Sanders sticker and he needs to take it off of my car. The lone guy shakes his head and leaves. One of the other men at the table yells really loud «hey who’s car is that anyways?» and they all look at me. «What are you, a communist?!» one guy yells at me. «Yeah, I’m a communist,» I scoffed.
They go on to discuss how Bernie just wants to pass out free joints, and let all the Muslims and immigrants take over the country. «Look at the idiots that follow him,» they laugh. «I won’t be happy until every single fucking Muslim and immigrant is DEAD!» another one adds. «You better vote for Trump!» one yells at me. They start to discuss how anyone should be able to carry a gun without a permit and that it’s «bullshit» that the government has to approve your application for conceal carry.
I’ve finally finished my food and I’m shaking uncontrollably. I was by myself against six large men. I’m a domestic violence and sexual assault survivor. I suffer from fairly severe anxiety and PTSD. Because of this I couldn’t find the courage to say much to them, and it probably wouldn’t have mattered anyways. But when I got up and left I said «it sure takes a lot of courage to harass a woman who’s by herself.» «We don’t harass women, we LOVE women!!» one retorted. Creep.
I told the waitress that I was sorry she had to deal with that and gave her a 50% tip for her troubles. She apologized, gave me a sympathetic look, and patted me on the back.
I took several turns out of the way on my way home to make sure no one was following me. I haven’t been that scared in a long time, and I shouldn’t have to be scared just because of my political views. I would never ridicule or harass someone in a restaurant just because they had a Trump sticker on their car.
This election is doing horrible things to a lot of people. It’s making it acceptable to be a bully. The hatred has always been there, but until recently it wasn’t ok to be openly racist, at least not around these parts. It’s terrifying. In a way I’m glad my husband wasn’t there because he’s a Hispanic immigrant. I can only imagine how that would have gone.

My family and I went for brunch here on a Sunday. It is a very small place so I do understand that they have to keep the customers moving but we overheard a sarcastic comment by one of the waitresses (not the one taking our order). Apparently, we were taking too long to order. There were empty tables and no one waiting to be seated so I don’t feel her comment was appropriate. The food was very good that is why I give them 3 stars but my family and I will not be coming back.