Papa John’s has issued a public apology after a delivery driver accidentally left a racist voicemail for a customer in Sanford, Florida, an area known across the country as the home of Trayvon Martin.
Somehow, the driver butt-dialed the customer after he left the man’s home and was recorded while complaining about his tip to a co-worker.
“I guess that’s the only requirement for being a [insert N-word] in Sanford. Yeah, they give me five bucks there — fine outstanding African-American gentleman of the community,” the driver said.
The driver also made up a tune about the customer and his wife which was laden with expletives and racial slurs. The customer uploaded a video to YouTube chronicling the incident in which you can hear the driver’s message.
John Schnatter, CEO of Papa John’s, issued an apology on the company’s Facebook page, and both employees have been terminated; as of now, the customer hasn’t had any other comment.
Friends, I am extremely concerned to learn about the reprehensible language used by two former employees in one of our restaurants. Their thinking and actions defy both my personal and the company’s values, and everything for which this company stands. The employees responsible for this absolutely unacceptable behavior were immediately terminated.
My heartfelt apology goes out to the customer involved, his family, and our community at large. I am very sorry that anyone would be exposed to these hurtful and painful words by any person involved in any way with our company.
Thank you for your important comments. I have personally reached out to our customer to share my own thoughts and offer my deepest apology.
Sincerely,
John Schnatter