A Virginia fast food restaurant is breaking its silence after a former employee wrote a racial slur on a customer’s order.
Nita Sutherland was grabbing a meal for her 7-year-old grandson at Wingstop in Fairfax County on Friday.
She told WTTG she clearly provided her first name, spelling it “N-I-T-A,” when placing the order. But when she looked at the sticker on the food bag and order screen, she was horrified.
“I was upset; I was pissed off,” Sutherland told the local station. She saw the n-word.
“I called for the manager, because I felt like she could go in and pick it off the screen at least, and she didn’t.”
Sutherland said the manager insisted the employee “didn’t mean anything by it” and returned to work without apologizing.
“It’s awful,” Sutherland continued.
Atlanta Black Star called the restaurant on Lorton Market Street Tuesday and spoke with the same manager.
According to her, the Hispanic employee was terminated. The manager also said she’d spoken with other employees and is planning on holding a sensitivity training course.
Wingstop’s corporate office sent FOX 5 a statement insisting that the company does not tolerate discrimination or hateful behavior.
“Discrimination and hateful behavior are completely inconsistent with the values of the Wingstop brand and have no place in our restaurants,” the statement said. “Upon learning of this situation, the independent owner-operator of this franchised location informed us that it promptly investigated the incident and, based on its findings, subsequently terminated the employee.”
The manager told the Atlanta Black Star she was shocked to learn that one of her employees wrote that word.
“We don’t use that kind of language here,” she said.
Sutherland said she was pleased the employee was fired, but believes more should have been done.
“I’m glad they’re fired, because they shouldn’t have put it on the screen,” she told FOX 5. “They were dismissive, and they need to understand racial profiling and racism is not accepted.”
The manager told the Atlanta Black Star that Sutherland was issued a full refund.
However, Sutherland reached out to Atlanta Black Star the day after this article was posted. She said she has not received a full refund from Wingstop and offered to provide bank records as proof. The corporate office has also yet to contact her. She said at least three employees should be fired over this incident.
The furious grandmother said she took her grandmother to the restaurant as a reward after he made the honor roll at his school. The 7-year-old was the first one to spot the racial slur.
“We had just taught him about racism a few weeks ago,” Sutherland told Atlanta Black Star. “We taught him that that wasn’t a bad word.”
