By Louis Chan
AsAmNews National Correspondent
It’s a bit ironic the day a conference gets underway in Los Angeles focused on how advertisers can market to the Asian American community, Dunkin Donuts is dealing with a public relations nightmare.
An East Asian American customer shared on Facebook her experience at a Dunkin Donuts in Forest Hills, NY. where she says she was bullied by an employee, laughed at by his fellow co-workers and humiliated by another customer.
The post by Peiyin Shih has already been shared 8,700 times and received 13,000 feelings of anger and disgust in less than 48 hours.
Dunkin Donuts has reached out to Shih and has promised appropriate action will be taken.
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Shif wrote on Facebook:
Hi, I went to this Dunkin Donuts located at 100-05 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, NY 11375 with my nanny & my one year old son today 5/30/2016 at 3:38pm. Besides juice & hot chocolate, we order Glazed chocolate donut. Staff Yaibur R. told me that I have to say the whole name of the donut. I point it to him & tell him that I want the “glazed chocolate donut” with a accent. He is like “What? What are you saying?” I point it again & say “that chocolate donut.” He does not even want to look & help me. He just look at me & say “you have to say the whole name of the donut.” I say why should I say the whole name. You already know what I want. You just want to make fun of me. He said you just have to say it in order to order it. I said I want to talk to your manager. He said you don’t have to see the manager. Manager is not here. You think he will be here all the time. He has home. Today is holiday. He has to go home. I say what is your name? He point his name tag & say “Here is my name. Do you know how to say it?” I insist to see the manager. Of course that staff ignore me. And then, this customer start to scream at me. When I start to use my phone to record, that Dunkin staff finally stop making fun of me. But this customer start to approach me & scream at me saying that he is going to take my phone away & throw it outside of window. I say don’t touch me. I am calling the police. The customer even say that I must be illegal. How humiliated. The staff is just standing there laughing. Doing nothing. I called the police. This guy keep making fun of me before he run away. He even call the police & tell them that i am just a Chinese lady who doesn’t like the Dunkin personnal’s attitude. Language violence? Discrimination? Bully the women with a children? Is this represent Dunkin Donus? This behavior of discrimination & arrogant is unacceptable.
Dunkin Donuts was quick to respond telling AsAmNews “At Dunkin’ Donuts, our goal is to make all guests feel welcome at Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants. The type of conduct alleged by a franchisee’s crew member in no way represents our company’s strong commitment to the fair treatment and well-being of all guests. The franchisee who owns and operates this location has informed us they are looking into the situation, that the type of behavior alleged would be grounds for termination from their restaurant, and that they have reached out to the guest to resolve the situation.”
It’s great that the franchise is not running away from the situation and moving quickly to act on it. Let’s hope some concrete action is taken to resolve this situation and a formal and public apology is issued to Shih.
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Asian customer accused Dunkin Donuts employee of ridiculing her accent: she called the cops? lolwut
RE: Asian customer accuses Dunkin Donuts employee of ridiculing her accent: james lanister,
It was for the guy yelling at and threatening her.
RE: Asian customer accuses Dunkin Donuts employee of ridiculing her accent: Learn to read, dude. It was for the irate and threatening customer coming at her.
RE: Asian customer accuses Dunkin Donuts employee of ridiculing her accent: White guy typing on the internet names himself after fictional Lannister family from bad TV show, spells “Lannister” wrong, started saying “lolwut” in 2016: Turns out reading comprehension is poor also
RE: Asian customer accuses Dunkin Donuts employee of ridiculing her accent: Wow the world is such racist place full of discrimination and dishonor to all religions. I can’t believe that fellow people in America get offensive with the Chinese. Like have they done anything wrong? It’s terrible that how we speak and how we look can affect our lives so much. In fact, not to mention I’m not saying that people not have their own opinion but they should definitely keep it to themselves before any problems get created. For sure, these people should get fired and be taught a lesson.
RE: Asian customer accuses Dunkin Donuts employee of ridiculing her accent: I now understand the quality of employee must have some connections linked with the quality of CEO relatively. Let’s all go out and find another donuts shop, the world nowaday needs more mutual respect.
RE: Asian customer accuses Dunkin Donuts employee of ridiculing her accent:hmmm, it’s amazing how a terrorist can team up with a neo-nazi to pick on an innocent Chinese lady….It’s time for Chinese to fight back all the bullying, if not, things will only get worse…….
RE: Asian customer accuses Dunkin Donuts employe of ridiculing her accent: That happened in New York ? I thought it would only happen or have happened (in my case) in Europe. For some people, it might be strange that the one who discriminates or racist is himself also a person of color. In my case in Europe, those who seriously discriminate/racist others are mixed (half white, half colored). Strange! I suggest the whole team (including the top manager and all the staff under him/her) should be wholely replaced. Not only the staff who did it. This is a kind of “gang” behavior. For that particular customer, of course threatening is a crime.
RE: Asian customer accuses Dunkin Donuts e ployee of ridiculing her accent: I want to see the surveillance recording of this I want to know exactly who not to ever hire.
RE: Asian customer accuses Dunkin Donuts employee of ridiculing her accent: This is disgusting. How they can ask for an English accent when most of the employees in Dunkin Donuts are also foreign people. That is unacceptable behavior
RE: Asian customer accuses Dunkin donuts employee of ridiculing her accent: lol so true, I cant understand them half the time but I was never rude or made fun of them.
RE: Asian customer accuses Dunkin donuts employee of ridiculing her accent: I live in Seattle and I will not tolerate such racist discrimination. I just posted on Dunkin donut Facebook and called for a boycott of Dunkin Donut. But then I could find it , did they delete it ?
RE: Asian customer accuses Dunkin Donuts employee of ridiculing her accent: Not just Dunkin Donuts has discrimination problems. I have experienced racial discrimination in Disney and McDonalds in the states! It makes me feel that compared to Canada, the Americans are so arrogant and full of themselves!
RE: Asian customer accuses Dunkin Donuts Employee of ridiculing her accent: This is a horrible situation. You cannot blame the corporation for the conduct of an employee of a franchisee. Obviously the owner and management of this franchise of Duncan Donuts is the problem. I know it is not easy to find good people who want to work and are friendly, customer service oriented individuals. If the owner of this franchise cannot find good employees, they should be at the restaurant more to help in the training and discipline of bad employees. No business owner should allow a bad employee to represent their business. This is a way to be sure that your business will not succeed.
No one with any customer service skills would do something like this to a customer or even another living soul. We all need to treat others as we would want to be treated. Just because someone does not have perfect pronunciation skills does not mean that they are any different than anyone else.
RE: Asian customer acccuses Dunkin Donuts employee of ridiculing her accent: Well, there are always some stupid people in New York , when the fu*king Donuts turns to a food only for WHITE GUY ????? Get some education !!!!! If that happens in Ukraine , I will slap ur stupid face , hate those racists!!!!
RE: Asian customers accuses Dunkin Donutss employee of ridiculing her accent: Dunkin’ Donuts is a racist business to begin with. Look at their commercials and how they give non-whites only the undesirable franchise locations. No wonder some of the people they hire are racists too. I am not surprised. There are people like this everywhere. I thought people are more accepting and respecting of each other’s differences nowadays. Come on, people. We live in 2016. We should be better than that! This is not only racist but poor customer service attitude. How did he even get hired in the first place? And the bystander dude was just as disrespectful as the server if not more disrespectful. SMH ~
Black people know how to punch back,so they’ve earned respect from Whites.
However Asian people always bear any unfair things, so Black and White bully Asian together =)