A Korean-American man is suing a Hooters restaurant in Queens after a worker there identified him and his girlfriend on a receipt using a slur referring to Asians, they allege.
Kisuk Cha, 25, and his girlfriend, both Korean immigrants, placed a to-go order at Hooters in Fresh Meadows on July 10, according to their lawyer Daniel D. Baek.
After placing their order, the couple noticed their hostess and another worker standing at the computer giggling and "gawking at them," according to the lawsuit.
When their hostess handed them their receipt, it had the word "Chinx" printed in the space reserved for the customer's name.
"Here we are in Fresh Meadows, and we have large populations of Asian Americans -- Korean Americans, Chinese Americans, Indian Americans, you name it," said Baek. "It's happening right here in Fresh Meadows. I'm shocked."
Cha told the New York Times he was so distraught that he lost his appetite and, when he got home, threw the food away.
The unemployed information technology specialist emigrated from Korea in 2000 and lives in Philadelphia, according to the Times.
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Nicole Conboy, director of human resources for the holding company that owns the Fresh Meadows restaurant and three Hooters on Long Island, said the 17-year-old hostess admitted to the act and immediately resigned, the Times reports.
The company's lawyer wrote in a letter to Baek, "It does not reflect the manner in which the restaurant is operated," and said the worker's conduct was "deplorable" and "egregious."
Earlier this year, the Papa John's company had to apologize after a worker in a Manhattan restaurant printed "lady chinky eyes" on a receipt for an Asian American customer. The worker was dismissed.
