Racial Slur Found On Taco Bell Receipt Left By Employee, Customer Claims

A Ph.D. student in Philadelphia claimed a Taco Bell employee used a racial slur to describe him on the receipt of his order.

In Young Lee, 25, said that he and his friends went to the fast-food chain at about 1:40 a.m. ET on Saturday and placed an order using the name "Steve" since cashiers often misspell or mispronounce his real name. But that wasn’t the name used to identify the order.

Lee, a first-year student at the University of Pennsylvania, posted the receipt on his Facebook page.

"Our interaction was very ordinary and cordial even until I saw my name on the receipt that read ‘STEVE C----,'" Lee posted on Facebook.

Lee said that when he confronted the cashier, he argued that there were three customers named Steve in the restaurant, so he needed to tell them apart.

"When I confronted him, he said that there are three Steve[s] in the restaurant so he needed to differentiate," Lee wrote. "It made me even more upset that he was protecting his case rather than apologizing so I lashed out and told him that it is extremely disrespectful to use such a derogatory slur. He eventually apologized, and although I was still very upset I decided to let the case go."

A Taco Bell manager intervened when Lee snatched his food from the employee. Lee claimed he overheard the slur used again by Taco Bell co-workers in the kitchen.

Lee said the manager tried to calm him down and that customers berated "both the manager and cashier," leading to the manager to admit wrongdoing.

"I want them to complete a mandatory training about racial consciousness," Lee said, according to CBS Philly. "I want people to be more aware of what they are thinking, what their behaviors are like."

Taco Bell released a statement to CBS Philly that condemned any form of discrimination.

"We do not tolerate this behavior. The franchise is looking into this matter and will take swift and appropriate action," the company said.