By Soo Kim

Copyright newsweek

A light-hearted skit filmed at a Waffle House restaurant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has ignited a heated debate on TikTok over Southern hospitality—and whether a waitress calling a customer “baby” crosses the line.

The video posted by content creator Majd “Max” Baz—known online as LifeWithBaz or TexasBaz—has drawn 34 million views and sparked thousands of comments since it was shared on his TikTok account @texasbaz on September 25. The caption overlaid on the clip reads: “When the waitress calls me ‘baby’ in front of Latin GF [girlfriend].”

In the video, Baz and his girlfriend are shown eating waffles at a table when a woman’s voice off-camera asks, “You need anything else, baby?” The girlfriend looks up at the waitress wide-eyed and responds, “Sorry, his name is Max.” The waitress quickly replies, “I’m sorry, it’s just a Southern hospitality thing…”

What many viewers didn’t realize is that the video was scripted with the waitress’s full involvement. “It was actually a light-hearted skit we staged with the waitress’s permission,” Baz told Newsweek. “She was kind enough to play along and say: ‘Do you need anything else, baby?’ so my girlfriend could respond on camera.”

A screenshot from a viral TikTok video about a couple who stage a skit about Southern hospitality at a Louisiana restaurant.

The viral post comes as the United States, the largest travel and tourism sector in the world, was projected to lose $12.5 billion in international visitor spending this year, according to a report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

The U.S. was the only country among 184 economies analyzed by WTTC and Oxford Economics that was forecast to see a drop in international visitor spending this year, according to the report.

Baz said the couple intended to poke fun at cultural misunderstandings. “The joke was meant to highlight how in the South, ‘baby’ or ‘darlin’ is just Southern hospitality, not flirting,” he told Newsweek. “But people took it the wrong way…a lot of people thought it was real. They overreacted because we acted too well.”

Despite the backlash, Baz says the couple never took offense. “We weren’t offended at all. We love the South and its culture. We just thought it would be a funny scenario to play with,” he said. “The backlash surprised us because it was all in good fun.”

However, many commenters appeared to take the video at face value and criticized the girlfriend’s reaction.

“Girl it’s not a deep thing. I’m glad the waitress answered her back,” wrote one commenter, Sabrina B.

User @qtt.lisaa commented: “It’s not even a ‘Latina GF’ thing. The woman was simply being nice and it is a southern hospitality thing. She’s serving you guys food, she’s there to work…”

XennialDee added: “I wouldn’t have even told you about southern hospitality. I would have smiled and walked off.”

Multiple users focused on the age and tone of the waitress, who is not shown on camera but her Southern accent is clearly audible.

“Girl grandma not tryna steal ur man chill,” said user haleyy132. “Intimidated by somebody’s grandma is crazy work,” added @alex_boo24.

Another user, @wrld4maya_15, noted: “Mind you she sounds like a sweet little old lady not at all a threat.”

“The woman meant nothing by it. I heard her accent and immediately knew,” wrote Eevie1. “Poor lady.”

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