Atlanta's Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q Fires Employee for Using Racial Slurs

One of the most popular restaurants in Atlanta — and the official restaurant of the Atlanta Falcons — came under fire recently after a Yelper accused the restaurant's hostess of using a racial slur. Steph Cha, who is a writer based in Los Angeles, visited Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q earlier this week and took to Yelp to document an incident she found deeply offensive. Cha wrote:

I was having a pleasant enough dinner at Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q when whoops, racism rained on my head from behind. The way I remember it is this: I was enjoying a meal with my husband and one of his best friends from childhood, who we never see. I had just received my plate and had my teeth halfway through a chicken wing. The hostess walked behind our table and chanted, "CHING CHONG CHING CHONG."

My husband and I both froze and just stared at each other. My back had been to the hostess, and for around fifteen seconds, we wondered, silently, if it could be innocent. She had chanted it like you might chant "Ding dong ding dong," with that sing-song voice. Then she went outside, and when she came back in, she was leading a group of eight Asian-American diners.

Reached by phone, a spokesperson for Fox Bros. confirmed that upon learning of the incident, the employee in question was fired. The employee was terminated 48 hours after the incident occurred. Though she enjoyed the food and service at Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q, Cha says she will never return to the restaurant.

Not that it matters, but those kids spoke perfect English and clearly lived in the area. I thought about telling them what had happened, as they were at a nearby table, but I decided I didn't want to put a pall over their dinner. My Fox Bros. experience was pretty well ruined by this incident. I was distracted and angry for a lot of the meal, and while I still tasted the food and enjoyed the company of our friend, every minute was tainted. I'm not trying to be dramatic, here--this was the most shockingly racist thing that had happened to me in a while, and it really disturbed me.

After a terse exchange with a representative of Fox Bros. via direct messages on Twitter, Cha decided to document the incident on Yelp. The restaurant has been trying to contact Cha directly, but has only been able to reach the writer via Twitter. They agree that the incident was "highly offensive."