By Tom Liddy
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MIDTOWN - What's in a name?
A waiter for the Waldorf-Astoria claims he was forced to don name tags with pseudonyms in order to avoid frightening guests, according to a published report.
Mohamed Kotbi, who had worked for the famed Park Avenue hotel since 1984, says he was told to wear a tag with the name "John" just two days after the 9/11 attacks, the New York Post says.
Although he put it on, he later complained to the management, who told him "we don't want to scare the guests," the paper said.
After filing a pair of federal discrimination complaints in 2005 and 2009, Kotbi was given a name tag with his proper last name.
But last November, the Moroccan-born Muslim was told to wear a tag with the name "Edgar," the report said.
Kotbi, who has now filed a discrimination suit against the hotel, also claims that he was called "terrorist" and "al Qaeda boy" by co-workers, according to the paper.
A spokesman for the hotel could not be immediately reached for comment.
