Payton Burke Springfield KFC worker fired over homophobic rant against gay couple, Joshua Garner and Lee Walls. Fast food franchise outlet under fire.
A KFC worker has been fired after hurling homophobic slurs at a gay couple in Illinois on Wednesday night.
Joshua Garner and his partner Lee Walls were picking up an order for a DoorDash customer at a drive-thru of a KFC in Springfield when the employee began verbally attacking them, WAND reported.
Garner recorded the unfolding incident, in which the man calls the couple ‘queers’ and ‘f–s.’
‘You can’t do that! You can’t do that!’ Garner says as he points the camera and films the worker as he proceeds to go off.
‘I don’t give a f–k if y’all are gay or not. This motherf—-r looks queer so he can get the f–k out of here,’ the irate employee says.
‘You’re going to lose your job I hope you know that!’
‘You’re going to lose your job I hope you know that!’ Garner warns the worker, who continued to scream profanities at the couple.
KHQA identified the employee as Payton Burke.
Garner says the incident left him and Walls shaken up, and he hopes everyone involved, including the manager are fired.
‘It was like a shot to the heart, like a bullet to the heart,’ he told WAND. ‘It was like we couldn’t say anything.’
Springfield police said they were called to the restaurant and told WAND News a report was filed. It’s unclear if there is any investigation into what happened.
KFC said Thursday Burke had been sacked, and that the franchisee who owns the restaurant has apologized to the couple as the fast food outlet now comes under fire.
The other employees in the video have been suspended, pending an investigation.
