Deaf Baltimore man records Taco Bell employee refusing service at drive-thru
Two weeks ago, a deaf man named Anthony Meadows was denied service at a Taco Bell / KFC drive-thru in the Baltimore area. He was working with UberEats and trying to complete an order. Here is a video he sent me.
[Video]
ANTHONY MEADOWS:
He’s refusing the order.
TACO BELL EMPLOYEE:
Have a good night. Have a good night. We’re closed. The cop’s on the way. I’m sorry.
MEADOWS:
See? He refuses to take the order. That’s Taco Bell. It’s really rude!
TACO BELL EMPLOYEE:
You can sit there like a dumb ass.
MEADOWS:
Look at this sticker!
[Sticker showing the words, “Hearing / Speech Impaired Assistance Available at this Window”]
TACO BELL EMPLOYEE:
Don’t touch this door. Don’t touch this door.
Tell Ms. Shirley to call the cops.
MEADOWS:
See that? The man is refusing my order.
TACO BELL EMPLOYEE: Tell Ms. Shirley to call the cops.
THE DAILY MOTH:
Clearly, the staffer at the window was very aggressive and used offensive language towards Meadows.
Meadows and I were able to sit down for an interview.
MEADOWS:
Hello, my name is Anthony Meadows. This is my sign name. I’m from Baltimore, MD.
I could have gotten angry, but I controlled myself. I was working. I have to keep it professional. When they used offensive words, I felt anger inside, but I kept a positive mindset. I decided to move on. Also, they called the police. But it never happened, because I already left. If I was still there and the police showed up, they might think that my hand gestures / signing is a threat. I prefer not to be in that situation and I left.
Yes, I felt discriminated against and they swore at me. I never thought it would happen. I thought they’d be nice and communicate with me but they still practice discrimination. And there was a sticker right there! I still don’t understand it. I’m trying to figure out why they did it. It’s very disappointing.
I called Taco Bell (the local one) and explained what happened. They did an investigation. I also sent my video to them. They said it was horrible and unacceptable and that they would do something about it. Then two or three days later, they said the male employee was fired.
ALEX:
How did you feel that Taco Bell fired the guy?
MEADOWS:
Actually, I do feel a lot better. I hope he learned a lesson. Next time, if he gets a new job, he will have to be careful with the Deaf community. He needs to do better next time with communicating and have patience. Patience is the key. If he is impatient, then he can’t work at any fast food place or anywhere else.
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THE DAILY MOTH:
I’ve tried to reach out to Taco Bell’s media team via email and called them and left a message, but never got a response. I have called the specific restaurant in Elkridge and a person picked up the phone and said a person was fired because of the situation with the deaf customer, but couldn’t provide additional comments.
Hopefully that restaurant will ensure its staff serve deaf customers at the drive-thru location. It is the third time that I’ve reported apparent discrimination at a Taco Bell drive-thru and probably the tenth time I’ve done a story about a deaf person being denied service at a drive-thru. With the coronavirus pandemic, it is more critical than ever that restaurant workers serve everyone at the window.