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There’s a message tucked into the bottom of IHOP’s receipts that beckons “we want your feedback!” Well, an IHOP in Texas is getting a lot of feedback over something else that was printed on their receipt.
Austin couple Rolman Sparkman and Ariana Brown picked up a to-go order from a local IHOP and were hurt by how they were identified on the receipt: BLACK PPL. Here’s the receipt in question.
Austin couple upset with description on IHOP receipt: https://t.co/tZpTunA0uz pic.twitter.com/B50JL4u1uI
— KVUE News (@KVUE) March 1, 2016
When Brown discovered the two-word label she immediately felt upset. She would later express her frustration on Facebook by putting a picture of her receipt on display for the world to see. Before long, the image was shared more than 14,000 times.
“I feel upset, I’m sad, I’m angry. Like this, it makes no sense,” Brown said.
Brown’s comments and the couple’s decision to put a spotlight on this brand of labelling prompted a social-media response from their server. It turns out that the waiter for the to-go order was also black and he insists that he had no intention to hurt anyone.
“In my rush to put in to-go orders and tend to my tables, I forgot to get a name for the (couples’) order,” waiter Dwayne Williams wrote on his Facebook after the story broke Monday.
“I apologize if I offended anyone because that wasn’t my intention. As a proud black prince myself, my sisters and brothers, I have no doubt that we will continue discussions about this and learn how to deal with our feelings of hurt in a more positive way that doesn’t take away from someone else.”
The apology offered up by Williams was met with disappointment by Brown and Sparkman.
“People are being racist, and it’s your own people being racist toward you for no reason,” Sparkman told Fox7Austin.
“That’s kind of messed up that you have to put your own people down.”
The corporate arm of IHOP responded to the matter in a statement:
“This was a poor choice made by our franchisee’s team member, and is not in keeping with policies and procedures. We recognize that it could be offensive and apologize. Everyone is welcome in our restaurants and our franchisee is using this as a teachable moment for the entire team so that it will not reoccur.”
(Via KVUE)
