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Food

Kid Orders Domino's Pizza, Gets Free Totally Racist Joke on the Box

When Massachusetts teen Syon Khosla ordered a pizza on Friday night and asked for a joke to be written on the box, he wasn't expecting the phrase “What’s the difference between a black person and a piece [expletive]”?

When you order a pizza online, the special requests section is practically begging—if not outright daring you—to fill its entire character limit with something ridiculous. (I've asked for delivery drivers to write their favourite song lyrics, to draw a picture of a dog, or to arrange the ham in the shape of a heart.) (IT WAS MY VALENTINE TO MYSELF, LAY OFF).

Massachusetts teen Syon Khosla was expecting the same kind of silliness when his special request was for someone to tell a joke on his Domino's delivery box. What he got was a racial slur.

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When Khosla received his pizza on Friday night, instead of a Cracker Jack-quality riddle, he saw the comment "What's the difference between a black person and a piece [expletive]" scrawled on the box. The 16-year-old showed the message to his parents, who quickly called the Shrewsbury Domino's store to complain. (An image of the alleged note was posted online, and it's terrible for not just its content, but also its clarity and its spelling and grammar mistakes. 0/10, would not make joke again).

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"It's not acceptable. We have always taught him that you don't do this and you don't accept this," Lokesh Khosla told The Telegram. "I'm not going to go and fist fight with the guy but I'm not going to let it go either."

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Image via turtleboysports.com

But when the elder Khosla contacted the store, he says that a manager initially accused him of writing it on the box. After that, Domino's tried to appease him through a series of free pizza deals, an offer to just retrieve the offensive box from their house, or to send a manager who lived in their neighbourhood to visit them for a chat. (And that wouldn't have been awkward at all. "So… you guys want to hear a joke or something?")

By Tuesday, Jeff Dufficy, the owner of that particular Domino's franchise, said that the employee responsible for the horrible attempt at humour had been both identified and fired. "Whatever fuelled it … there's no place for it," he said. "Our relationship with the community is fragile, and one person that works for you (can affect that)."

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Dufficy told the news outlet that he might write out a list of "very sterilised" jokes that his employees could write on pizza boxes, if they receive a similar request in the future. A sign that says, "Hey, remember not to be racist" would've probably worked too.

MUNCHIES reached out to the Domino's location in question and someone who identified himself as the general manager refused to give his name or to comment. "This person has been disciplined and dealt with," he said, just before he hung up the phone. "I'm not allowed to give any more comments. You have a great day."