ATLANTA — An Atlanta radio personality has taken to social media to call out a popular cheesesteak restaurant in Buckhead for what she claims was a racially-insensitive incident.
Darlene McCoy Jackson, who is part of the Praise 103 team, shared her experience at Woody's Cheesesteaks on Irby Avenue in an Instagram live video that has since gained significant attention.
According to her, when she placed her order, an employee used the racially insensitive term "darky" to identify her on the receipt.
"I place my order. What is your name? I said, Darlene. This joker put darky, d-a-r-k-y."
Displaying the receipt in her video, McCoy Jackson expressed her displeasure with the incident and her subsequent interaction with the employee. She alleged that she requested the employee change the name on the receipt, but instead, he allegedly refused to accommodate her request and declined to refund her money.
"I'm like, What? But I don't want to be called Darky, so cancel my order and give me my money back. He says, 'I'm not doing that. I don't give money back,'" she said in her Instagram live.
The radio personality claimed the employee appeared to be Hispanic. However, Woody's has not disclosed the name or race of the employee involved.
McCoy Jackson expressed her dissatisfaction with how the situation was handled and believes that further action should be taken. She shared her intention to consult with her attorney regarding the matter.
A representative from Woody's Cheesesteaks sent the following statement to 11Alive:
"At Woody's Cheesesteaks, we care deeply about treating all guests with respect. Recently a guest experienced an incident that was not aligned with the values our business upholds and the service our customers expect. Through an internal investigation, we did find the incident resulted by mistake; nevertheless, it should not have. We have apologized to the customer, issued a refund and are actively working with our staff to ensure this does not occur again."