A woman in Northern Virginia says she was shocked and angered after finding a racial slur printed on her Wingstop order receipt and shown on the restaurant’s order tracking screen. The incident allegedly led to the firing of an employee at the location.
Nita Sutherland told FOX 5 D.C. that she went to a Wingstop on Lorton Market Street in Fairfax County to buy a meal for her 7-year-old grandson. She said she clearly gave her first name, spelling it out as “N-I-T-A,” when she placed the order.
Instead of her name, she said, a racial slur appeared on the order stickers that were attached to her food bags. According to Sutherland, the same slur also showed up on the restaurant’s food preparation progress screen.
The customer described a dismissive exchange with the manager
Sutherland said the experience left her upset, and she described her reaction in plain terms. “I was upset; I was pissed off,” Sutherland said. She added that she asked to speak with the manager because she believed the slur could have been removed from the screen.
According to Sutherland, the manager did not take the slur off the screen when asked. “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. Reports of diners handed a receipt with a racial slur have surfaced in other parts of Virginia as well.
Sutherland said the manager told her the employee “didn’t mean anything by it” and went back to work without offering an apology. She said the response from staff felt dismissive of her concerns.
When asked how the incident made her feel as a Black woman, Sutherland reportedly replied, “It’s awful.” She said she also stopped the manager from taking away the order stickers, which she viewed as evidence of what had happened. Similar accounts have appeared elsewhere, including a customer who alleged racism at a nail salon in New Mexico.
Sutherland said she was pleased that the employee was fired but believes more should have been done in response. “I’m glad they’re fired, because they shouldn’t have put it on the screen,” she said. “They were dismissive, and they need to understand racial profiling and racism is not accepted.”
According to a statement from Wingstop’s corporate office, cited by FOX5, the company said discrimination and hateful behavior are not tolerated by the brand. “Discrimination and hateful behavior are completely inconsistent with the values of the Wingstop brand and have no place in our restaurants,” the statement said.
The corporate office said the franchise owner looked into what happened and acted on its findings. “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 statement said.
