Forget about sticks and stones; words actually do hurt.
A Virginia grandmother was left in tears after a Burger King employee gave her a receipt referring to her and her daughter-in-law as "b***h a** hoes," according to photos published by CBS affiliate WTVR-TV.
The two women reportedly placed an order at the drive-thru of a Richmond, Va., Burger King on Saturday. The elderly woman, who did not release her name, but identified herself as "Miss Lorel," told CBS that the profanity and name calling hurt her feelings, and made her cry.
"This is more than an insult," she said through tears. "I mean calling you names on a piece of a paper, that will hurt somebody. I liked going there. But after this they won't get my business anymore."
She reportedly asked to speak to the manager of the franchise, who apologized when he heard about the note, but did not refund the meal.
"He did apologize," she said. "He also called the young lady over and asked her, 'Did you see this?' She just shook her head. He said it had never happened before,"
Burger King's corporate office said it's looking into the matter.
"At Burger King Corp., we have great respect for all of our guests and customer service is a top priority every day at BURGER KING® restaurants," a spokesman told WTVR. "BKC has recently been made aware of a photo that shows an alleged receipt from a franchisee-owned and operated restaurant that does not comply with our customer service policy. We are working with the franchisee, who is investigating the matter, to determine the origins of this photo."
Franchise owner John Naparlo apologized for the incident and said his that he would be looking at surveillance videos to determine which employee is responsible for the incident.
"We are obviously upset by the harm this has caused one of our customers," Naparlo said.
The Huffington Post reported that in 2010, two employees were fired from a California Burger King for printing "f**k you" on the back of a receipt.
