An ex-manager at a pair of Vietnamese restaurants in Texas says she was the target of racial and gender-based verbal attacks in a text message sent by one of its owners after she quit her job.
Domo Schneckenburg, 26, who managed two Texas Pho Shack locations — one in Sugar Land and another in Katy. But she decided to move on and notified her employers that she would be resigning, but had no problem finishing out the week.
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When Schneckenburg spoke to owner Danh Le on the phone, it was cordial, but afterwards – in a group text that also included the restaurant’s other owner – Le was angry.
She took to took to Facebook to post screenshots from a text message thread with Le and in it, she displays where he called her a a “n—-r” and a “b—h.”
“I won’t lie and say I wasn’t surprised by [Le]’s reaction because I was,” Schneckenburg wrote in the post. “It was a rude awakening that the stereotypes between black and Asians are still true, New generation or not. Regardless of how long you’ve known them, how hard you have worked, how trustworthy you have been, whether or not the family knows you, etc. You’re still a [N-word] in their eyes.”
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The social media post created a stir with many people calling the restaurant to complain, and writing negative reviews on the restaurant’s Yelp! Page. Further, Daddy Duncan’s BBQ, a Texas-catering company that had done business with Pho Shack decided to end its partnership, writing on Facebook, “We do not condone discrimination in any shape or form, [so] we have stopped all business” with the restaurant, according to the Black Star.
In fact, Schneckenburg said one of the reasons why she chose to resign is that her boss had become comfortable casually using racial slurs in her presence while she worked, despite her telling him she was uncomfortable with the language, according to Yahoo News.
“When I got the text, I was extremely hurt and angry and I flipped a table over,” in the restaurant, Schneckenburg said, which prompted Le to call the police, according to Atlanta Black Star. “I also called a staff meeting because I wanted everyone to know what the owner thinks of me.”
Le, likely because of the negative reaction that his racist language caused, finally apologized to the young woman and posted an apology on Pho Shack’s Facebook pages, according to The Daily Dot. The restaurant’s Facebook pages have since been shut down. Le himself has since resigned.
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“I grew up in an environment that allowed ignorance to prosper, allowing the N-word to be used casually amongst friends, and it remained a part of my vocabulary until now, but that stops here,” Le wrote on Facebook, according to The Daily Dot. “The conversation that took place was fueled by rage and mixed emotions, and as a result that word took a turn for the worst. My temper has always been my downfall.”
Le said he made the decision to “resign” from Pho Shack.