Queenstown burger joint Fergburger has dismissed a staff member after a tourist was given a receipt containing a racial slur.
A photograph of a receipt, dated for Sunday, was posted to social media by a Taiwanese tourist.
It had the words “ching chang” on it.
In a statement posted to Facebook last night, Fergburger general manager Claire Burke said the employee involved in the incident was dismissed for what she described as “unjustified behaviour”.
“While this cannot undo the incident or lessen the harm caused, we remain committed to addressing the situation thoroughly,” She said.
“This incident has been caused by a single individual whose actions are entirely inconsistent with Fergburger’s values.”
Burke also clarified that the staff member named on the receipt did not serve the customer.
She said the company was “absolutely devastated” by the incident and took full responsibility.
The business launched an internal investigation yesterday to understand how the incident happened and how it could be improved.
Burke said she had been in direct contact with the customer “from the moment we became aware of the incident” and kept an open communication line throughout its investigation.
“We have expressed our gratitude for their feedback, extended a sincere apology for the distress caused, and reaffirmed our commitment to ensuring that no customer experiences a similar situation at Fergburger.”
The business said it would now implement additional cultural sensitivity training for staff and conduct a “comprehensive review” of its internal policies and procedures.
“We are dedicated to ensuring this never happens again.”
Local tour guide Roxie Fu, who had been contact with the tourist, said before the worker lost their job that they were “quite happy” with how Fergburger had been responding to the incident.
“She’s glad they’re taking it seriously,” Fu told 1News yesterday.
She also told the Otago Daily Times that “the staff in Fergburger did not ask for the girl’s name, relying on calling out the number on the receipt to let her know the order was ready”.
“The tourist was shocked and disheartened when she saw what had been used for her name.”
