A video capturing a disturbing incident at a Chick-fil-A in LaPlata, Maryland, has gone viral, showing a customer confronting staff after finding a racial slur on his receipt. The clip, which has sparked widespread outrage, highlights the moment when the customer, Marquise Vanzego, calmly but firmly addresses the issue with the restaurant's employees.
In the video, Marquise is seen speaking to a staff member at the counter after noticing the offensive word printed at the top of his receipt. Typically, receipts include the customer's name, but in this case, a derogatory term was used instead. Clearly upset by the incident, Marquise decided to film his interaction with the staff to ensure the situation received the attention it deserved.
He can be heard asking a manager, "Is the guy that wrote 'monkeys' on my receipt, is he available? I want to talk to him." The employee responded that the person responsible for writing the slur was not present and was leaving the restaurant. Marquise then expressed his determination to make the video go viral, calling the situation "unacceptable."
The video quickly gained traction online, and Marquise posted it alongside an open letter addressed to Chick-fil-A CEO Andrew T. Cathy on Facebook. In the letter, he detailed his experience, explaining that he had ordered his meal at the drive-thru and provided his name, "Marquise." He was shocked to see the racial slur on his receipt when he received it.
After going into the restaurant to address the issue, Marquise spoke with someone who identified herself as a manager. She reportedly apologized and acknowledged that the slur was "not even close to Marquise." However, the incident left Marquise deeply hurt and offended.
"This racist and derogatory labelling is not only deeply offensive but also humiliating as a 52-year-old African American adult male," Marquise wrote in his letter. He further expressed how seeing the slur brought back painful memories of the racism endured by his ancestors, emphasizing that such language should never be used so casually in today's society.
The letter continued, "The situation is profoundly disheartening, and it's unacceptable that anyone should have to endure such an experience, especially from a business they support." Marquise also described a phone call with another manager who allegedly defended the 17-year-old employee responsible for the slur, saying, "He put down the name he thought he heard you say, so I stand with him and will not terminate him."
