Burger King employee refuses to serve deaf customer as restaurant was 'too busy', says he too has a disability
An Oklahoma woman was refused service by a Burger King employee stating that the restaurant was 'too busy' to accommodate her hearing impairment.
The incident took place on August 21 when Rachel Hollis, 38, went into a drive-thru at a Burger King outlet along with her two sons.
Rachel would normally note down her order on her cell phone and slip it to the person working at the counter. However, on that particular day, Rachel was handed a note by the employee which read, "Can't do a full order at the window. Too busy."
Talking to KFOR, Rachel noted that she wasn't welcomed by the employee working at the outlet. "I show him my order, and he gives me this face of frustration,” she told the outlet.
The employee told her, “You have to come inside. It is too busy. Too busy, ma’am. It has nothing to do with your disability. I have a disability too.”
The worker, who has since been fired, was not ready to take Rachel's order and instead slammed the window on her.
"This man was stubborn. He completely ignored me. It was like I was nobody. I just wanted my food. They should treat me like hearing customers," she said.
While Rachel was unhappy about the experince, she was disappointed and sad that her children had to witness it. "I was very upset, I was crying, I was very tired. I'm tired of discrimination,'" she said. "I've never experienced anything like that, for someone to call the police. That's crazy, it just doesn't seem right."
After the incident, Burger King released an apology. The outlet noted that they value their customers equally and have taken action to look into the incident. "All guests should be treated with respect and provided with a high level of service at our restaurants. The restaurant owner has reached out to the guest and her family to apologize, the employee was terminated and all employees at the location will undergo additional sensitivity training to ensure our customers always feel welcomed," read the statement.