Fast food worker sacked after handing deaf mum rude note at drive-thru
When deaf mum Rachel Hollis handed her written order over at a drive-thru window, the last thing she expected was to be told by the drive-thru attendant he was “too busy” to serve her.
Ms Hollis normally noted her order in her phone and passed it to employees, and until last weekend at Burger King in Oklahoma City, she never had an issue.
But this time, the man behind the window refused to take her order, and passed a note back instructing her to order inside the restaurant instead.
The mum was picking up some food for her two sons at the time, having just picked them up from hockey practice.
Speaking with news site KFOR 4 through an interpreter, she said the worker had a look of “frustration” after she handed him her phone.
At this point Ms Hollis had begun filming because she felt uneasy, and captured the man leaning out to pass her a note refusing her order.
“Can’t do a full order at the window. Too busy,” the noted said.
A disgruntled Ms Hollis remained parked alongside the window, with the employee later returning and continuing to argue that he couldn’t take her order.
“You have to come inside. It’s too busy. Too busy ma’am, I can’t do a full order at the window I’m sorry,” the worker said.
“It has nothing to do with your disability, I have a disability too.”
She eventually had her order taken by another employee, but it wasn’t before the restaurant called police.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that, for someone to call the police. That’s crazy, it just doesn’t seem right,” Ms Hollis told the news channel.
Burger King said in a statement it had since apologised to Ms Hollis since the incident, and the employee had been sacked.
“All guests should be treated with respect and provided with a high level of service at our restaurants,” the statement said.
“The restaurant owner has reached out to the guest and her family to apologise, the employee was terminated and all employees at the location will undergo additional sensitivity training to ensure our customers always feel welcomed.”
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