NEED TO KNOW
Houston restaurant shares video showing couple allegedly placing hair in food
Staff initially comped the meal despite growing suspicions
Owner’s daughter says video was shared to protect small businesses
A Houston restaurant is speaking out after viral surveillance footage appeared to show a couple deliberately placing hair in their food in an apparent attempt to get a free meal.
The video, recorded on Monday, Jan. 12, from inside Fajitas Mexican Grill, shows a woman removing hair from her own head and placing it on the table. Moments later, the man sitting across from her appears to move the hair onto his plate before calling a server over to point it out.
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Viral video shows Houston-area couple put hair in food at restaurant.
The footage was later reviewed by the restaurant owner’s daughter, Laisha Ramirez, who stated that the complaint immediately raised concerns among the staff. Ramirez noted that the server was already suspicious, as no one with long hair was working in the kitchen at the time, and no staff member had hair that matched the color seen in the video.
Despite those doubts, the restaurant still chose to comp the couple’s meal.
It wasn’t until afterward, when the security footage was reviewed in full, that Ramirez said the restaurant realized what had happened. The business then decided to share the video on social media, where it quickly gained traction and sparked widespread discussion about customer fraud and the strain it puts on small, family-owned restaurants.
PEOPLE reached out to Fajitas Mexican Grill for further comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Speaking to local outlet KVUE, Ramirez said the decision to make the footage public was necessary for the community’s awareness.
“It was intentional,” said Ramirez about her decision to post the video. “I didn’t want them to get away with going to another restaurant. A lot of local restaurants are family-owned. We didn’t want them to get away with anything, and if they have done this in the past, we don’t want them to continue hurting these small restaurants.”
Ramirez said the incident underscores a larger issue facing independent eateries, which often operate on thin margins and rely on trust between customers and staff. While many businesses quietly absorb losses, she said the restaurant “felt it was important to speak out” — both to defend its employees and to alert other restaurant owners.
Read the original article on People