Wingstop employee fired after racial slur appears on customer order in Lorton

LORTON, VA. - A Wingstop employee was fired after a Northern Virginia woman reportedly found a racial slur printed on her order receipt and displayed on the restaurant's order tracking screen, an incident she said left her shocked and outraged.

What we know:

Nita Sutherland told FOX 5 D.C. she visited a Wingstop on Lorton Market Street in Fairfax County on Friday to buy a meal for her 7-year-old grandson. She said she clearly provided her first name, spelling it out as "N-I-T-A," when placing the order.

Instead, she said, a racial slur appeared where her name should have been on the order stickers attached to her food bags. The same slur also appeared on the restaurant’s food preparation progress screen, according to her. 

"I was upset; I was pissed off," Sutherland said. "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 the manager told her the employee "didn't mean anything by it" and returned to work without apologizing.

Asked how the incident made her feel as a Black woman, Sutherland replied, "It's awful."

Sutherland added that she prevented the manager from removing the order stickers, which she viewed as evidence of what had occurred.

Employee fired 

What they're saying:

Wingstop’s corporate office said in a statement that discrimination and hateful behavior are not tolerated by the company.

"Discrimination and hateful behavior are completely inconsistent with the values of the Wingstop brand and have no place in our restaurants," the statement said. "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."

Sutherland said she was pleased the employee was fired but believes more should have been done in response to the incident.

"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."

What's next:

A Wingstop spokesperson also said employees at the Lorton location will undergo sensitivity training.

What we don't know:

The employee who was terminated could not be reached for comment.

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