September 1, 2024
Marquise Vanzego was shocked to see his order name as “Monkeys” while receiving his food.
A Black man in Maryland is calling out a local Chick-fil-A for labeling him as “Monkeys” while at the drive-thru.
According to the Today.com, Marquise Vanzego looked at his receipt to see an unusual name. Vanzego told the news outlet that he went to the La Plata Chick-fil-A to order a meal on Aug. 23. However, as he went through the drive and heard the name “Monkeys” called out, Vanzego could not believe his ears.
However, the order matched his, confirming his fears that he had been labeled the racially-charged word. He equated the incident to other instances of racial profiling.
“You start to think about all the other incidents that may have occurred that you heard about on the news with racial profiling,” expressed Vanzego.
While his first name Marquise sounds slightly similar to monkeys, the notion that someone, especially a Black man, would be named that should have raised concerns from the employee. However, perhaps due to Vanzego’s Blackness, the drive-thru worker, detailed as a white male, wrote the name down.
Upon notifying management of the distasteful mix-up, the supervisor apologized and offered a refund for his distress. However, Vanzego went public with the ordeal, sharing his letter to Chick-fil-A’s headquarters and its CEO, Andrew Cathy. He detailed his “outrage and disgust” with being referred to as “Monkeys.”
“I would like to take this time to express my outrage and disgust over an appalling incident I experienced at the Chick-fil-A in La Plata, Maryland,” expressed Vanzego in the letter. “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.”
He added, “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.”
The marketing director for the locally-owned franchise declined to comment. However, the chain’s corporate office did note that this experience is “unacceptable.”
“This Chick-fil-A is independently franchised and operated,” they wrote in a statement. “The franchisee of this restaurant has apologized to the guest. However, this experience does not meet our expectations and is unacceptable.”
Vanzego hopes that the employee will take accountability for his actions and understand the significance of using that term.
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