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Hooters labels newly-naturalized Korean couple 'CHINX' on racist receipt

By Lena Sullivan / Dailymail 09/12/2012 11:46:00

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Hooters labels newly-naturalized Korean couple 'CHINX' on racist receipt

A newly-naturalized Korean-American citizen took his sweetheart to a Hooters in Queens for a quick bite, but left sick to his stomach by the derogatory treatment he received.

Kisuk Cha, 25, and his girlfriend Dayoung Choi, 27, popped by the Hooters in Flushing Meadows, Queens, for an order of Buffalo shrimp and a 10-piece chicken wings on July 1.

But while they were preparing his food, he noticed the hostesses laughing at him and he found out why when he looked at his receipt: the woman at the register had labeled him and his girlfriend 'CHINX', a racial slur against Asians.

Chinx: A newly-naturalized Korean-American citizen took his sweetheart to a Hooters in Queens for a quick bite, but left sick to his stomach by the derogatory treatment he received

Angry: Kisuk Cha, 25, and his girlfriend Dayoung Choi, 27, popped by the Hooters in Flushing Meadows, Queens, for an order of Buffalo shrimp and a 10-piece chicken wings on July 1

'I'm happy to be a citizen, but I was so offended,' Mr Cha, who works in information technology, said to DNAInfo. 'This isn't what I got my citizenship for — to be treated like this.'

His attorney, Daniel Baek, has filed suit against Hooters for damages in excess of $150,000 for the humiliation Mr Cha suffered.

Mr Baek called the use of the word 'Chinx' the equivalent of the '"N" word for Asians.'

'Mr. Cha and his girlfriend became uncomfortable when they noticed their server... gawking at them, looking at the screen and giggling,' Mr Baek wrote in the complaint.

'When Kisuk Cha saw the racial slur, he was shocked, stunned, mortified, humiliated and severely distressed.'

Mr Cha wanted to confront the server but the humiliation was too much. Suffice to say he did not eat the food he had just purchased, sickened by the slur and concerned they may have spit in his dish.

Slur: But while they were preparing his food, he noticed the hostesses laughing at him and he found out why when he looked at his receipt: the woman at the register had labeled him and his girlfriend 'CHINX', a racial slur against Asians

Humiliation: His attorney, Daniel Baek, has filed suit against Hooters for damages in excess of $150,000 for the humiliation Mr Cha suffered

'We believe this incident to be isolated, and is in no way indicative of the brand as a whole,' Claudia Levitas, General Counsel for Hooters of America responded to the suit.

'We are disappointed to hear of this incident.'

They, however, insisted that Mr Cha's issue is with the franchise owner, not the company as a whole.

Edward McCabe, attorney for the Flushing franchise, said his clients mounted a full investigation of the incident upon hearing of it. He said the management called the conduct of the employee 'deplorable'.

The woman who entered the slur came forward, an unidentified 20-year-old employee, and resigned immediately.

The Hooters also went through three months of past receipts to find any other instances of racism, but found none.

Mr Cha went forward with his suit anyway, saying that the incident 'haunts' him and he is afraid to go to any non-Korean restaurant.

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