Chicken Licken found itself in the frying pan on Tuesday after parody anonymous Twitter account @AdvBarryRoux shared a complaint by customer Mathonsi Sello who accused the food chain of racism.
In his post on Facebook, Sello asked social media users to help him “expose” the food chain for the bad treatment he supposedly received.
He claimed that after buying a meal at a store in Lyttleton, Centurion, he asked the staff for tap water so he could take his medication before eating his meal, and they refused.
“I was told by the cashier that it is in their policy that they don’t offer tap water to customers because they sell bottled water,” he claimed.
He then spoke to the manager, Freddy, who referred him to a Portia Zulu, who told Mathonsi she could not help him as it was company policy for them not to serve customers tap water.
“One of the employees told me that they only do it to black people,” he, however, alleged.
Following the criticism, Chicken Licken responded and said they were “aware” of all the furore.
“We are aware of this complaint and have been in contact with the customer and store directly. Our policy is to not give out tap water, as bottled water is sold in stores,” it said.
Of course Nandos, however, could not pass on the golden opportunity to market itself.
The food chain responded to a customer who had commended it for giving him and his friends a whole jug full of water, for free.
“The real ones know which restaurant to come to,” it said.
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