'Ching Chong' Written On Asian Customer's Receipt Gets Worker Fired From East Village Restaurant

EAST VILLAGE, NY — An employee at the East Village's Cornerstone Cafe has been fired after writing an Asian customer's name as "Ching Chong" on a receipt, the restaurant's manager said on Facebook.

The manager, who identified himself only as Rocco, apologized for the incident in the post on Wednesday.

"This situation leaves me no choice than to terminate this employee for this unjustified act," he wrote. "It definitely does not reflect the way the Cornerstone staff or I think because of one individual's stupidity. As manager I still take full responsibility and I humbly asks for forgiveness to all who got offended , but most of all to the person who's heart was broke and made sad today."

A photo of the receipt was shared on Facebook by Ziggy Chau, who said that her friend's mother, who is Asian, had visited the cafe, located on Avenue B. The woman's name was entered on the receipt as "Ching Chong," a derogatory slur for people of Asian heritage. The racist slur is believed to have originated in the U.S. in the 19th century to mock Asian accents.

Chau shared a photo of the receipt, calling for an apology from Cornerstone Cafe. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

"This just happened to my friend's mother...right here in NYC!! Please boycott this place Cornerstone Cafe NYC until they publicly apologize," she wrote. "Better yet, call them directly and let them know they have a racist staff. Racism has no place ANYWHERE."

Hundreds of people condemned the cafe on social media after the image of the receipt went viral, and dozens called on the restaurant to apologize.

Patch was not able to immediately identify or make contact with the employee who wrote the receipt.

Lead image via Google Maps.