A staff member at Neil Perry’s Burger Project restaurant has been sacked over a racial slur typed on a customer’s receipt.
Melbourne man Nicholas Muchinguri was issued the offensive docket on Friday when he ordered lunch with a group friends at the chain’s Melbourne outlet.
It read, “Order #16 n****s”.
In an open letter to Burger Project, Muchinguri’s wife, Rutendo, demanded action over the “disgracefully discriminatory treatment” received by her “hard working black husband”.
“It’s exhausting that in 2017, in a modern and multicultural society some of your staff remain insensitive to the impact that this insidiously nasty and vile word has,” she wrote.
“Come on, you can do better. This is NOT OK.”
Burger Project, which is one of the many businesses owned by celebrity chef Neil Perry's Rockpool Dining Group, issued a statement on Facebook in which it apologised "profusely" for the "upset and hurt" caused by the staff member, whose position was terminated.
"We have a clear policy of respect and care for our customers, staff and community. We do not condone this kind of behaviour from our staff, or accept this treatment of our customers," the statement read.
"The employee’s behaviour was in breach of our code of conduct and such behaviour won’t be tolerated."
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While Mrs Muchinguri denied the brand's claims that it reached out to her husband on Friday afternoon, she said Perry personally contacted them Saturday morning.
"Although we are happy to see that there was repercussions for the staff member, we don't wish him any ill will. Hopefully this will turn into a learning opportunity for him and the entire staff at Burger Project," she wrote in a Facebook post this afternoon.
With her initial post having attracted hundreds of comments and reactions, Mrs Muchinguri said she and her husband were encouraged to see that most people were sympathetic to how "wrong and hurtful" the staff member had been.
"We've come a long way but there is still more to do and more conversations to be had," she wrote. "It may be uncomfortable at times but it's during the tension of these situations where we can see real growth and change."
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