When Marquise Vanzego got his food from the La Plata Chick-fil-A drive-thru last Friday, he was shocked by the racist name printed on the label.
The Charles County man says the label he received had the word "monkeys" printed instead of his name.
"It was devastating," Vanzego said. "It just set me back years. As a black male, we've gone through a lot, and it's a constant reminder, just when you think you're healing from a situation, someone opens that wound back up."
Vanzego says he went inside to complain, and a manager and the store owner later apologized to him. The owner told Vanzego that he wouldn't fire the employee involved, because the employee was a minor and said he'd misheard the name.
Vanzego says he placed the order face to face, not through a microphone, because the worker was standing outside in the drive-thru line.
"I think it could've been handled a lot differently," Vanzego said. "I think the employee should've been terminated on the spot. It's unfortunate that he might end up losing his job, but that happens. He needs to learn from this."
Vanzego told News4 that he used to be a regular customer at the Chick-fil-A location, often coming several times a week.
Chick-fil-A responded to a request for comment with a short statement.
"This Chick-fil-A is independently franchised and operated. The franchisee of this restaurant has apologized to the guest. However, this experience does not meet our expectations and is unacceptable."
News4 also called the La Plata Chick-fil-A. A worker who answered the phone said they had no further comment.
Vanzego says he's hired an attorney and he's considering filing a federal lawsuit against Chick-fil-A for discrimination.
"I won't be going back to the Chick-fil-A any longer," Vanzego said. "Racism is still alive."
