QUINCY, Fla. (WTXL) - A Facebook post about a racial clash goes viral, causing the boycott of an area business.
Kally Abdel has been managing the Quincy Hungry Howie's store for about ten years. This past Tuesday, he had the kind of customer interaction no manager hopes for.
According to Abdel, a customer's phone order got lost in the system, causing her to wait longer than usual. He says she told him to make the pizza anyway; she would wait.
That's when the story gets a little muddy.
"She said she wants her money back and I said ma'am I can't do that because I asked you before if you want me to cook the pizza for you and she said yeah go ahead," said Abdel. "She says okay I want to call the police, I said yeah go ahead, you have the right to call the police."
"I called the guy to come in the front to help the other customer and I said man I can't handle this job anymore, I can't deal with customer," Abdel continued. "She jumped and said 'Hey, you called me black face!"
However, customer Krista Woodard says she didn't ask for her money back until after Abdel said the racial slur. Later that night, her husband, Pastor Marque Woodard posted about the interaction, saying the manager told his wife: "That's why I don't like to serve you black face."
The Quincy Police Chief confirms officers were called to respond to the incident. He says, quote: "The customer was informed the matter was civil in nature and needed to be addressed in the civil court."
Abdel denies saying the slur, but Krista Woodard says she knows what she heard.
"I have no reason to lie, Why would I lie?" said Krista Woodard. "To see how people are actually going after me, going after my character now? That's what's disheartening. I'm the victim here."
The Woodards are asking people in Quincy to boycott the Hungry Howie's store. Their Facebook post has been shared more than 400 times.
There's a now hiring sign outside the store, because the manager says this whole ordeal has him thinking about quitting.
"I don't want to work here no more. I have to leave," said Abdel.
Adbel says his store has seen a nearly 60% drop in business since the Facebook post went viral.
"I don't want to see any business suffer, but if you cant respect your customers, you don't deserve our patronage," said Marque Woodard.
