As reported by the New York Daily News and other media outlets, a Korean-American man that had ordered a takeout meal from a Hooters restaurant in New York, was gawked at, giggled over and in a final insult, labeled as "CHINX" on his receipt. The man has since filed a personal injury lawsuit claiming that he suffered emotional anguish in the ordeal.
A Hooters' hostess at the Fresh Meadows, Queens location, had used the label to identify the man, and his Asian girlfriend, for an order they placed at approximately 10:40 p.m. this past July 1.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the male patron, K.C., in Brooklyn Federal Court.
On September 11, a lawyer for Hooters told reporters that the hostess, once she admitted to the deed, quit her job.
The suit states that K.C. and his girlfriend and ordered two popular appetizers, the restaurant's signature buffalo shrimp and spicy chicken wings, as the event unfolded.
As the couple waited for their food, the waitress looked at the restaurant's computer screen and began "gawking" and "giggling" over what she was reading and, apparently, what she was seeing – the Asian couple that the label was referring to.
The couple received their food, paid their bill, and then noticed the two receipts, both clearly describing them in capital letters as "CHINKS".
The copy of the receipt, the one usually reserved for adding in a tip, specifically reads, "Check ID: CHINX."
Edward McCabe, the attorney representing the Fresh Meadows franchise location, investigated the incident. He said that the employee referenced as "Server: 220 Shenika" was cleared – it was instead the hostess that admitted to using the term to describe the guests.
McCabe said, "She (the hostess) was very apologetic. She said she didn't realize the gravity of it and how offensive it was. It was shocking to us and we are absolutely sympathetic to (K.C. and his girlfriend).
McCabe also stated that the restaurant did a review of the receipts for the three preceding months, to see if any other customers had been referred to with ethnic slurs, but nothing else was discovered.
Hooters' employees are allowed to label their customers, according to McCabe, by an article of their clothing, or the color of their hair, to help employees remember who placed what order. However, he said, they are not ever allowed to refer to a person by describing their ethnicity.
The offending hostess, apparently not one of the ladies known for wearing the owl-eyed shirt and bright orange close-fitting athletic shorts, was not identified.
K.C., 25, a Pennsylvania resident, is arguing that being labeled a "Chinx" has caused him emotional anguish. His girlfriend is not named as a plaintiff in the suit. K.C. is seeking an unspecified monetary award.
A case of personal injury can take many forms. Sometimes the pain is physical, while others, the pain may be unseen. Whatever form of personal injury you have suffered, contact a personal injury lawyer for help.