Fresno restaurant owner says servers thinking of 'building wall' because many Hispanics don't tip

FRESNO, Calif. -- A Fresno restaurant owner is left responding to controversial remarks he made on Facebook targeting Hispanics.

On Saturday, Roll One for Mi owner Steve Wayte posted a comment saying: "My servers are thinking about building a wall around the restaurant. Why don't many Hispanics tip?"

Wayte has since deleted the Facebook post.

The post drew criticism from thousands online including former Fresno County supervisor and mayoral candidate Henry Perea who called for the community to in turn build an economic wall around the establishment.

Wayte answered to his comments saying it was meant to be a joke and meant nothing by it. "This is a hard business to be in anyway, and my servers rely on their tips, so I was defending my staff more than impugning Hispanics," he said. "I didn't say all. I hate generalizations. I hate that stuff. But it all just happened to be that night."

Wayte later apologized for his comments and says he will be more aware of the comments he makes on Facebook.