ARVADA, Colo. — Two employees were fired from a Colorado Wendy’s after they wrote a racist note on an African-American child’s kids meal toy, the fast food company said in a statement.
The note featured the “N” word as well as other derogatory sayings.
Manige Osowski brought her family to the Wendy’s on Thursday. Osowski couldn’t believe it when her daughter opened the toy to see the note.
“I had to explain to my child what the ‘N’ word means and she’s never heard that term before,” Oswoski said.
It’s unclear why the employees wrote the note, but Wendy’s said it acted quickly and terminated their employment.
“Our core values as a brand center around treating people with respect, and we have taken this situation very seriously. As soon as we learned what had occurred, we investigated and took swift action. The two employees who were involved are no longer employed by Wendy’s. We also have reached out and have formally apologized to the customer,” Wendy’s spokeswoman Candis Goins said.
On Tuesday, about a dozen people protested outside the Wendy’s to voice their frustration. Wendy’s apologized to the family, but the family said it won’t accept it until their children receive a formal apology.
“While I do understand that two individuals were responsible for this, there’s a systemic problem that this isn’t addressed to the people it hurt,” Oswoski said.