A Black customer at Chick-fil-A was horrified to see a worker had intentionally misspelled his name on the order ticket.
A recent incident at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Maryland has left a customer feeling deeply offended.
Marquise Vanzego, a Black man, visited the LaPlata location on August 23 to order some food.
He chose chicken strips, fries, and a drink. However, what happened next shocked him.
Customer outraged after Chick-fil-A worker deliberately misspelled his name on order ticket
After placing his order, Marquise waited for his food. When it was ready, a worker called out a name that was not his.
To his horror, the ticket showed a racial slur instead of his name.
Chick-fil-A worker called out the Black customer as “Monkey”
The employee had written “Monkeys” where the guest’s name was supposed to be.
Marquise was taken aback and could hardly believe it.
At first, he thought there was a mistake. When he heard the name being called, he thought it could not be his order.
But when the employee confirmed that the order was indeed his, he felt a wave of hurt wash over him.
“Your heart has that little sting in it,” Marquise explained, describing how he felt at that moment.
He began to think about other incidents of racial profiling he had heard about in the news.
The customer continued: “You start to think about all the other incidents that may have occurred that you heard about on the news with racial profiling.”
Marquise stated that he had given his name clearly when he ordered, and there was no reason for the employee to write such a hurtful word.
In a video he posted, he confronted a manager about the incident.
He explained that he had clearly said his name was “Marquise,” which is “not even close” to the offensive term used on the ticket.
The customer decided to report the humiliated worker to restaurant owner
Following the incident which he felt humiliated, Marquise wrote a letter to Chick-fil-A.
In this letter, he described his feelings of “outrage and disgust” over the incident.
He said that the ticket was not just offensive; it was also deeply humiliating for him.
He wanted to make sure that the company understood how serious the situation was.
The owner’s response to the matter
The store’s owner spoke with Marquise and told him that the employee who took his order was just 17 years old.
The owner claimed that the teenager thought he heard Marquise say “Monkey.”
Marquise was shocked by this explanation and questioned the manager if he had ever heard of anyone named “Monkey.”
The store owner also mentioned that the employee would not be fired for this incident, which further upset Marquise.
He felt that there should be consequences for such behavior, even if the employee was young and still learning.
Marquise stated, “I understand he’s a young man, but he also needs to know that there are consequences for what he’s done.”
Chick-fil-A corporate responded to the incident, stating that the restaurant is independently owned and operated.
They expressed that the experience Marquise had was unacceptable and did not meet their standards.
The franchise owner has apologized to Marquise, but the incident has raised questions about how employees are trained to handle customer interactions.
After sharing his story, Marquise received mixed reactions online.
Some people thought it was a simple misunderstanding, while others agreed with him that the situation was serious.
Many felt that nobody should ever be called such names, and that the company should take stronger action.
The kid obviously misheard him.
I work in a restaurant and we also ask for their name when taking the order, I have had people tell me all kind of ridiculous “names” to use, especially teenagers.
It’s really not that far-fetched that he thought he said “monkeys” instead of Marquise, one user defends the worker.
It’s funny how many people are so sure it was just a silly mistake, but the FACT of the matter is, that is not a sure thing.
A man was hurt and humiliated having to answer to a racial slur, known or unknown to the employee.
The employee does need more than a slap on the wrist, he needs to be retrained obviously, and give the man a decent and proper apology, the second user stood by the Black customer.
Oh boohoo it was an accident. Kids don’t listen plus wouldn’t even know how to spell marquis or whatever the name is, the third user said.
Some people just want to complain, if you don’t speak clearly thru the speaker with all the noise don’t expect the worker to get it right.
My name is always pronounced wrong, another wrote.
The customer’s name is Marquise Vanzego, I understand spelling but if I asked someone’s name and I heard “monkeys” I would be asking for clarification.
I’d expect a 17-year-old to realise it’s a clarifying moment, someone said.