Featured Image Credit: NBC Washington/Instagram/dcmetrocarpentry
Topics: Food and Drink, US News
Poppy Bilderbeck
Topics: Food and Drink, US News
Warning: This article contains discussion of racism which some readers may find distressing
A man has opened up after receiving a receipt from Chick-fil-A with a racist slur written on it.
On Friday (August 23) at around 8.00pm, Marquise Vanzego went to the La Plata Chick-fil-A in Maryland and ordered from the drive-thru.
However, his experience ended up being 'devastating' after he received a receipt with what is known to be a racist slur written next to the 'guest' section.
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Taking to Instagram on August 28, Vanzego shared a photograph of his receipt which reads 'M*nkeys L1 2583' by the 'Guest' section.
He also shared a video of when he went back to the branch and confronted workers.
In the clip, he can be heard asking a manager: "Is the guy that wrote 'm*nkeys' on my receipt, is he available, I want to talk to him."
An employee responded saying their colleague wasn't there anymore but could give him the manager's number.
And Vanzego has since opened up about the incident further.
Vanzego told News4: "It was devastating. It just set me back years. As a Black male, we've gone through a lot, and it's a constant reminder, just when you think you're healing from a situation, someone opens that wound back up."
He added to TODAY.com his 'heart' had 'that little sting in it' and he ended up thinking about 'all the other incidents that may have occurred that you heard on the news with racial profiling'.
Vanzego wrote an open letter to Chick-fil-A's headquarters office expressing his 'outrage and disgust' over the 'appalling incident,' stating he 'clearly communicated' his name to the employee.
Vanzego added he spoke to the manager on duty who 'apologize[d] and agreed that there is no excuse and that 'M*nkeys' is not even close to 'Marquise''.
He continued: "This racist and derogatory labeling is not only deeply offensive, but also humiliating as a 52-year-old African American adult male. The sheer hurt of seeing that word takes me back to a painful history, one where my ancestors endured the same dehumanizing racism that was meant to strip away their dignity.
"The fact that such a vile slur was used so casually in this day and age is a stark reminder that the trauma of those times is still very much alive."
Vanzego says when he spoke with the store owner on August 25, they said they'd spoken with the 17-year-old employee who said they'd 'put down the name he thought he heard' and so the owner had decided to 'stand with him' and 'not terminate him'.
However, Vanzego doesn't agree with this result, voicing he thinks it 'could've been handled a lot differently' and believes the employee 'should've been terminated on the spot' and 'held accountable for what he's done'.
He added: "I understand, he’s a young man, he’s 17, he’s still learning but he also needs to know that there are consequences when you do things like that."
Vanzego resolved: "I won't be going back to the Chick-fil-A any longer. Racism is still alive."
A spokesperson for Chick-fil-A told UNILAD: "This Chick-fil-A is independently franchised and operated. The franchisee of this restaurant has apologized to the guest. However, this experience does not meet our expectations and is unacceptable."
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Racial Equity Support Line on 503-575-3764, available weekdays from 10am to 7pm PT. Or via the Lines for Life Equity Team at [email protected].