Kit Roberts
Warning: This article contains discussion of racism which some readers may find distressing
A viral video shows the moment a customer confronted staff at Chick-fil-A after seeing a racist slur written on their receipt.
In the clip, the customer is speaking to a member of staff at the till after he received the receipt for his meal at Chick-fil-A LaPlata in Maryland.
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The receipts have the name of the customer at the top of them, but in this case the word at the top of the receipt was a racial slur.
Outraged, the customer filmed the encounter as he calmly confronted the staff at the restaurant over the slur at the top of the receipt.
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."
The employee said that the man wasn't there at the time, and that he was leaving the restaurant, to which the man replied: "I'm gonna make sure that this video goes viral, because this is unacceptable."
After being asked what would happen, the employee responded that she would be giving the customer their manager's number.
The customer, named Marquise Vanzego, posted the clip and an open letter address to Chick-fil-A CEO Andrew T. Cathy on Facebook.
He explained that he had ordered at the drive-thru and given his name as Marquise and was horrified when he saw the slur on his receipt.
After going into the restaurant, he explained that he spoke to someone who identified herself as a manager.
In the letter, he said that she had apologized and agreed that the slur was 'not even close to Marquise'.
The letter said: "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."
He added: "The situation is profoundly disheartening, and it's unacceptable that anyone should have to endure such an experience, especially from a business they support."
He went on to describe a phone call with a manager who he claimed told him: "I spoke with him, he’s 17-years-old and told me that he put down the name he thought he heard you say so I stand with him and will not terminate him."
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].