HARFORD COUNTY, Md — A Harford County business owner has been suspended and an employee fired after a customer says a slur was printed on their receipt.
Edgewood resident, Jamal Crudup, went to pick up food at Bacco Pizzeria in Abingdon, but instead of taking home dinner, he says he was left with feelings of shock and hurt.
"It was dismissive, they didn't care," Crudup said. "Why would they treat me like this? I come in here all the time. I spend my money."
Harford County pizzeria owner suspended, employee fired after customer finds slur on receipt
Crudup said that workers were laughing while he was placing his order, but he didn't realize why until he returned home and looked at his receipt. Instead of his name, Crudup says, an inappropriate term in Spanish was printed on the ticket.
"I was like, OMG. I said, 'That's what they were talking about. That's what they were laughing at,'" Crudup said.
Crudup, who worked in the restaurant industry for more than 15 years, said he immediately knew what the word meant, describing it as a homophobic and racist slur.
"It could mean a woman that likes sexual intercourse, it could mean a female monkey," Crudup said.
Crudup drove back to the pizzeria to confront the staff and recorded the interaction. In the video, he asked the manager why the name was on his ticket and if it was because he is gay.
"I’m shaking because I’m so upset. I don't come in here to be judged. I don't judge you," Crudup said.
The manager claimed he did not know what the Spanish word meant and said the employee had not spelled a name right all day. Crudup pushed back, noting the word was not a misspelling of "Jamal."
Later in the video, the shop's owner can be heard off-camera yelling at Crudup.
"If you don’t like it brother, get the [BLEEP] out my store," the owner said.
"I thought that the owner was gonna come up and say, 'Oh my goodness, I apologize,'" Crudup said. "He told me to get the F out, but claimed that he didn't know what was going on. If you didn't know what was going on, then why would you even react?"
After the incident was posted on TikTok, Bacco Pizzeria's ownership group issued a public apology that reads in part: “Rather than the situation being handled with the fairness and care he deserved, it was made significantly worse when our owner raised his voice at him.” The statement also reads, "To Jamal specifically, we are deeply sorry for the harm and humiliation you experienced. You deserve better from us, and we failed you.”
The restaurant said the employee involved has been let go and that staff training will be conducted.
“I’m not letting this go. I’m not sweeping this under the rug. When I speak, I’m speaking for everybody,” Crudup said.
Crudup said he is grateful for the support he has received despite seeing some negative comments online.
“The community of Harford County has definitely wrapped their arms around me,” he said.
Still, he says the incident has left a lasting impact.
“I think about all the other times that I went there and just didn’t look at the receipt,” Crudup said.
WMAR reached out Bacco Pizzeria for a further comment on the story.
MEDIA STATEMENT FROM BACCO PIZZERIA:
Bacco Pizzeria sincerely regrets the incident that occurred just over a week ago. The language on the customer’s receipt and the way his complaint was handled fell significantly short of the respect every guest deserves. There is no excuse for either. We genuinely apologize to the affected customer and the entire community.
Since becoming aware of this incident, the Bacco ownership group has taken the following actions, we have:
• Made numerous direct attempts to reach the affected patron to personally apologize
for our actions.
• Apologized publicly for our behavior; we are deeply remorseful.
• Terminated the employee responsible for the language on the receipt.
• Suspended the owner/operator who used profanity toward the patron, pending additional internal review.
• Held all-staff meetings reaffirming that every guest is treated with dignity and respect, without exception.
• Decided to engage an outside firm to conduct formal training for our entire team.
Bacco has been part of the Harford County community for many years. We are committed to rebuilding the trust of our guests and neighbors through our actions. Thank you in advance as we work together through this challenging time.
