Are they being unreasonable? Banned from local KFC today

[GraciousLife]

Popped into my local KFC today. Due to the area I live in, they have screens up between customer and cashier (like in post offices and banks), which makes it hard to hear what is being said. I didn't understand what the girl asked me, and, as I often say when I don't understand what someone has said, I jokingly said "Can I have that in English please", without thinking/realising/noticing the cashier was from another country (english being her second language).

The cashier got very upset. More upset than I would have thought is necessary, and refused to continue to serve me. I was shocked. She got her manager and told her what I had said. To cut a very long story short, I have been banned from the store.

That lady had probably been working for 10 hours and must have heard "hilarious" stupid remarks from customers for the whole day. If you really got banned from KFC because of that I would say it was excessive, but I really believe you are leaving part of the story out on purpose. I would love to hear KFC's version of the incident.

Best. MN. Stealth. Non-boast. Ever.

Travelling in Sydney years ago, some friends of friends arrived from Wales. They were pig farmers from Port Talbot, delightful chaps and i was fascinated by their accent. They hunted high and low for jobs, even interviewing for Macca's, where they were turned down as they didn't speak English. Caused much hilarity amongst us.

As a complete aside but a lovely story..... Very down on their luck, they went off to go fruit picking in Woop Woop with their last $100, arrived at bus station at the middle of a night, bought a scratch card and won $6000! We all frequented a bar (how we all new each other) and they sent us a post card from Fiji, en route home.

There's a KFC in an unsavoury part of Nottingham that has screens, not that I've ever been in you understand...

debivamp What would you have done if the offensive person had said Sod you and not waited for the police to arrive? Made a citizen's arrest?

OP I think KFC over-reacted but these are the days we live in: you have to be very sure about what you say anywhere. If I had a row with a cashier and said I want to speak to the man in charge (which I wouldn't - though I might have done forty years ago) I would not complain about being excluded for being offensive to the women staff even if I had no subjective intention to be offensive.

You'll probably find that if you go back in a month they won't even recognise you and will serve you. If not, try a false beard :o

In no way could you have accidently said that. if you couldn't hearan english speaker you would say can you speak up a bit. No one woudl ever say 'can you say that in english to an english speaker to get them to repeat it.

so you knew they werent english and you were being very very rude

Ladies - the woman was, I believe, Polish. She had been in the country for 15 years, so whilst English was not her first language, she could speak very good English. I believe whether she had been English or not, I still would not have understood what she had said (very quietly spoken, talking fast)

I, of course, apologised. The manager basically said "We do not tolerate racist behaviour and therefore are asking you to leave"

I said "That's a little OTT don't you think?"

Manager "We do not tolerate racist behaviour"

Me: "I wasn't being racist"

Manager "Please leave"

Me: "I've just paid for my food. I'm not leaving without it"

Manager: Throws food at me. "Do not come back, ever"

I live in Birmingham.

I laughed when I said "Can I have that in English please". I wasn't being rude at all.

It's not bloody racism! it's languageism at worst.

Racism:

The belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, esp. so as to distinguish it as...
Prejudice or discrimination directed against someone of a different race based on such a belief.

As a student I was employed as a waitress in a well known pizza restaurant (never eat the food at said 'hutty' restaurant mnetters - kitchens are grim) and there was a major incident where a group of rowdy, rude, messy teenagers were asked to leave because they were shouting abuse at other customers. Having been removed from the restaurant they then return with parents and community support officers claiming that that we had committed a racially motivated attack. We had done no such thing they were asked to leave for fing and c-ing at other customers.
If op you genuinly weren't being racist I sympathise with you. Some people just call racism whenever something happens they don't like, they know it will get a reaction.

OP Are you the Fat Fighters lady from Little Britain? Dust, anyne?dust?

Of course customers can rightly expect to be spoken to in understandable English, in England. If staff can't speak English that is easily understood, they should find a non customer-facing job.

How do you know so much about the cashier?

Oh right does seem a bit excessive then.

was the manager foreign by any chance?

It's a fairly rude thing to say to a stranger even if they are English, just because you can't hear them properly.

KFC are right to protect their staff from apparently racist comments, and I think that overrides your right to make jokes. I imagine that actual racists also claim that they didn't mean it that way when confronted by management. Unfortunately, the effect on the member of staff was just as hurtful even though you didn't intend it.

YABU. Your remark was thoughtless and crass, how many times have the staff there been subjected to racial abuse with real malice or intent behind it? Those screens are there for a reason, and it won't be because their clientele are polite and well behaved, not merely inconsiderate.

If they have a policy that racism will not be tolerated good for them.

Engage brain before mouth in future.

"I laughed when I said "Can I have that in English please". I wasn't being rude at all."

Oh, so not only did you imply that they weren't speaking proper English but you laughed at them too .... no, that's not rude at all !!!!

That comment would be condescending and rude toward anyone you don't know regardless of what their nationality is.

What's wrong with politely asking the server to speak a little louder or simply to ask them to repeat what you missed.

I can see how the comment can be harmless in the right company and I would take it well from friends but if someone I didn't know said that to me I'd think they're an arsehole.

Still think KFC were excessive with their reaction, especially if you apologised and tried to explain yourself. But you are being a wee tad unreasonable if you can't see that what you said could be offensive.

Having read the exchange, I lthink the manager was a bit OTT, but I agree with others who say it was a thoughtless comment and could have been perceived as being insulting.

Agree that KFC is revolting, count yourself lucky.

How will all the staff know you are banned? There staff turnover must be massive, will they put a photo of you by the tills on the inside of the screen with caption "banned"

FWIW I often say "can I have in English please" when I go to Birmingham

Do you even need to hear what the cashiers are saying in KFC?

You tell them what you want... they mumble something. Say no, they just asked you if you wanted to go large on your meal.
They mumble something else, you reply telling them what drink you want.
Again they mumble something, just say no I dont want two corn cobettes for 99p thank you.

Pay the cashier the amount it say on till. Bob's your uncle. Fanny's your aunt.

It's NOT racism

FFS.

It was not a particularly polite thing to say, and could be construed as not racist, I suppose, but definitely not polite.

I LOVE that review of the KFC in Kings Cross. I know the Burger King in Leicester Square has bouncers in the evening, and there's always buttloads of police around the KFC in Brixton (but that's also because it's near where all the drug dealers hang around)

It CAN be racism. It is commonly used against people of other nationalities to belittle them by racist people who fully understand what is being said.

It was rude regardless of her race. Hardly her fault you couldn't hear her.