A TKK Fried Chicken customer says she was mistreated and overcharged at the eatery because of her skin color.
TikTok user Rhian Nicolee (@thehiandiaries_) made the accusations in a viral video that has been viewed over 2 million times.
“I need y’all to tell me if I’m tripping or if these people were racist,” she began in the clip.
The woman went on to explain that she attends a school in Washington, D.C., that allows students to leave school grounds to eat during lunch hours.
She says a friend of hers returned to school one day with a chicken combo from a restaurant and boasted about it. The combo reportedly came with three pieces of chicken, French fries, and Boba tea for $12, which they agreed was a steal.
“So me and a couple of my other friends all decide to go to this place,” the TikToker continued.
According to the TikToker, the TKK Fried Chicken restaurant was located in Luna Hall in the city’s Chinatown. She said that when she and her friends arrived, they took turns ordering from the restaurant’s menu, anticipating the cost would align with what the other student reported.
The TikToker said that when her friend ordered, the total came up to around $12 or $13. However, she said that when she ordered the same exact meal, the cost somehow increased.
“And I’m like, why is it $18?” she wondered.
At first, she thought the cashier possibly made an honest mistake while charging her for the meal. However, the student alleged that another friend ordered the same meal after her and was, again, charged less.
“We ordered the exact same thing,” she said. “Hers is about $4 less than mine is.”
Then, when the time came to pick up the orders, the TikToker alleged she faced undeniable discrimination.
She said her friends who ordered both before and after her received their food before her.
She said she tried to keep her cool about the situation but became upset after realizing that other customers who ordered after her also received their meals before her, including her friend who ordered the same exact meal.
Eventually, her friends began to poke fun at the situation and joked that the restaurant was refusing to serve her because she is Black.
Rhian did not think it was a joke. She really felt like she was being discriminated against because of her race.
“Because even when they finally did call 37 and was about to give me my food, I could see that the lady was hesitant to hand it to me,” she said.
Ultimately, she could come up with no other reason for the restaurant workers’ behavior.
“There’s no other reason that they would’ve charged me more and then waited 10 people before giving me my food as the only Black person that was ordering there other than for the fact that I was Black,” she concluded.
@therhiandiaries_ TKK chicken in china town, DC #storytime #rhiandiaries #fyp ♬ original sound – Rhian Nicolee 🫶🏾
Studies have found that Black customers are more likely to be discriminated against in restaurants. A North Carolina State University study showed a third of restaurant servers discriminate against Black patrons. Other restaurants have also been accused of mistreating Black customers. For example, in 1994, Denny’s settled a landmark $54 million lawsuit with Black customers who were allegedly refused service, forced to wait longer for service than other patrons, or even overcharged.
In the comments section, some expressed their disappointment with the restaurant.
“I would be scared to eat the food that’s crazy,” user Katfamlucky wrote.
“Expose and Boycott TKK Chicken,” user Careful_Whispers wrote.
Others called out her friends for making light of the situation and questioned their friendship.
“Why didn’t your friend stand up for you?” user Angela asked. “I would never allow this to happen to my friends!”
“Baby it’s time to get new friends too,” user Itscandiceclarissa added.
The Daily Dot reached out to TKK Chicken via email and phone and to Rhian Nicolee by email for comment.
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