Wendy’s receipt draws ire

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A receipt from a Thibodaux Wendy’s restaurant has been making the rounds on social media pages, drawing strong reactions because of what appears to be a racial slur printed on the portion that is supposed to indicate the name of the customer.

According to the woman who posted the receipt on Facebook, the customer who received the receipt – and whom it allegedly refers to – is a black man.

On the receipt, in the space was the name “DARKY.”


The woman, whose name on the social media site is listed as L’Oreal Fleming, did not return multiple private messages from The Times.

“So this happened yesterday at Wendy’s in Thibodeaux,” the post states. “The white cashier Paul thought that it would be funny to label my friend’s husband Darky as the rest of the staff laughed. It is not funny. This is unacceptable Wendy’s I can not believe this. Please feel free to share this guys to bring awareness to people spending money here.”

Malik Hossel, the franchise holder of the Wendy’s at 810 Canal Boulevard, deferred comment to Wendy’s corporate offices.


“Wendy’s local franchise owner has been a proud member of this community for many years,” said a spokesperson from the chain’s Ohio headquarters. “Upon learning of this incident, the owner took swift action and is conducting an internal investigation. This situation is being treated very seriously. At this time the local owner is working to gather all the facts and resolve the issue.”

Wendy’s has reached out to communicate with the man who is said to have received the receipt, during a transaction that occurred Wednesday. But as of Thursday night neither he nor Fleming responded to the company’s request for a discussion.

The employee is believed to be a teenager.


The authenticity of the receipt does not appear to be in question. What is not known is whether the wording was an intentional slur, if the person ordering the food gave that as his name, or if he gave a different name that was misinterpreted or misunderstood.

In any event, people who shared the post said, the outcome is inexcusable.

“Even if somebody tells you something foolish common sense is going to tell you not to use it,:” said Qiana Daniels, a Thibodaux resident who is among people sharing the post. “Somebody needs to teach these young people to know what is appropriate, you want to confirm what you are hearing. So when people say I am not going to this business I understand that. We need to know that someone did acknowledge it and corrected it.”


Calvin Cooks Sr., a captain with the Thibodaux Police Department, who is black, posted as a private citizen on his Facebook page that while he is not familiar with the employee, he knows Hossel, and recommended that the customer get in touch with him.

“Malik is the most kind-hearted person you will ever meet and he would never engage, or encourage his employees to participate in discriminatory acts against customers, nor co-workers,” Cooks said.

The Thibodaux incident is not the first time a Wendy’s location has come under fire in connection with receipts.


Multiple print and broadcast outlets reported that in October an employee at a Wendy’s in Mobile typed “lil ugly dude” on a customer’s receipt.

The 15-year-old customer and his family were distressed by the incident, which they said was an exercise in bullying.

In that case Wendy’s apologized and fired the employee.


Some fast food restaurants, like Wendy’s ask for customer names to personalize an announcement that an order is ready. Others use order numbers. An Internet search revealed similar stories over the past four years at various restaurants. In some of those cases insults were written by hand on receipts.

Wendy’s receiptCOURTESY