The Marquise Venzigo says that the word broke his heart.
A Maryland man is sharing an alleged incident of racism at his local Chick-fil-A after an employee labeled an order to go with “monkey” instead of his name.
Marquise Wanzigo told TODAY.com that he went to get dinner after work on August 23 and placed his order with a man working at the drive-thru.
Venzigo, a black man living in La Plata, Maryland, tells TODAY.com that when he first heard an employee call out the animal’s name, he thought there was no way. But when the employee confirmed it was an order for chicken strips, fries, and an iced tea/lemonade drink for someone in a white van, his heart sank.
Describing how he felt when he realized the order was for her, Wanzigo says the physical feeling was no different than when you’re grieving or going through a breakup: ” That little sting in your heart,” he says, “that’s what it felt like.”
“You start thinking about all the other incidents you might have heard on the news with racial profiling,” Wanzigo continues.
He says he immediately spoke to an on-duty manager, who apologized and offered to refund the order and later spoke to a store manager named Kevin, who was not present at the time of the incident.
TODAY.com spoke to Kevin, who declined to comment and declined our request to be contacted by store owner John Flatley.
Venzigo recorded his conversation with the on-duty manager as well as what happened when he decided to walk into the restaurant instead of waiting in his car for the manager to return.
He posted the videos — along with a letter he wrote and mailed to Chick-fil-A — on both Instagram and Facebook, where they received a lot of attention from the public.
While some commenters were supportive, others questioned whether it was employee error or a faulty drive-thru intercom system. Venzigo told TODAY.com that although he ordered a drive-thru, there was no intercom system involved. He placed his order directly with a “young man” who was standing outside to eat.
