Pizza Hut, Durham refused to honor coupon, employees racist Durham North Carolina

On June 29, 2007 at 7 pm, my family went to the Pizza Hut restaurant on HWY 55 in Durham, NC (an establishment I we had gone to many times). We were seated in the restaurant section. As I sat down, I showed the waiter the coupon I was planning on using. "Family deal: one large 1 topping and one large specialty pizza for $19.99" I immediately ordered: large pepperoni pan, large pepperoni/mushroom handtossed, large breadsticks, large cinnamon sticks.

After about 15 minutes our breaksticks and large pepperoni pan arrived. About 10 minutes later a burnt pepperoni/mushroom arrived. When the pizza was placed on the table I immediately said "the pizza is burnt" (the cheese and the crust were black). The waiter said "the pizza is not burnt just a little overcooked" then he yelled across the room "they won't accept this pizza" (like I suppose to eat it without saying a word). The waiter left the table with the pizza, he came back a few minutes later with the pizza and said that I could keep the pizza and they would make me another pizza. I took one bit of the pizza and immediately put it down because it was completely inedible. I noticed that the waiter was serving the black patrons but all of the white customers were ignored.

After 20 minutes our remade pizza arrived (still no cinnamon sticks). I told the waiter to please remove the burnt pizza from the table because we did not want it and asked if he knew what had happened to our cinnamon sticks. Another 10 minutes past, before our cinnamon sticks arrived (we have now been I the restaurant close to an hour).

We collect our left over pizza and I went to the front counter to pay. There were 4 black individuals standing behind the counter. I handed my coupon to the cashier. She said "you can't use this", I said "why not" I order 2 large pizzas. She said "well, you didn't order a specialty pizza" you only ordered a two topping pizza. I said "what does it matter" and she in a VERY rude voice "your pizza has to be a Lovers" or have three toppings". I asked to speak to the manager.

Meanwhile, the cashier is YELLING on the top of her lungs that I was "disrespecting her" and that she had already explained. The manager came over next to the cashier and said that I was wrong and if I wanted to use the coupon, she was going to charge me for a Pepperoni Lover's and a large pizza with an extra topping. I had not ordered or received a "Pepperoni Lover's". For the next several minutes I argued with the manager. The cashier yells that I am a "CRAZY WHITE WOMAN WHO WILL ONLY LISTEN TO GOD". She says this loud enough that the whole restaurant (which is about 25 people) hear her.

The manager and the cashier were both racist because I was a white woman in a room of mostly blacks. At that point I say "fine I will pay the bill but I am NOT paying a tip" and I left the building.

I have NEVER been treated so rudely by a group of individuals. Pizza Hut claims that "integrity is our core value". Obviously, customer satisfaction is not part of their values. After this experience I will NEVER eat at another Pizza Hut restaurant again. If I had been black and the staff had been white, the restaurant would be sued for racial discrimination, but because I am white and they were black, the racist attitude and comments were acceptable.


Heather
Durham, North Carolina
U.S.A.