A worker at a Neil Perry-run burger restaurant in Melbourne's CBD has been sacked over a "nasty and vile" racial slur on a customer's receipt.
Nicholas Muchinguri had lunch at Burget Project on Friday and was disappointed to see the 'n' word printed on the receipt where his name should have been.
His wife Rutendo Muchinguri posted a photo of the receipt to social media, calling it "disgraceful" and saying the couple would never again visit a Rockpool Dining Group restaurant.
"My hard working black husband went to your Collins Street store to have lunch with his friends and this is a photo of his receipt for the order," she wrote in a Facebook post.
"It is so disappointing that in a place where my husband spent his hard earned money, he received this sort of disgracefully discriminatory treatment.
"It's exhausting that in 2017, in a modern and multicultural society, some of your staff remain insensitive to the impact that this insidiously nasty and vile word has."
Prominent chef Neil Perry telephoned Mr Muchinguri on Saturday morning to apologise on behalf of the company, Ms Muchinguri said.
The company responded by sacking the staff member, saying his behaviour was unacceptable.
"We do not condone this kind of behaviour from our staff or accept this treatment of our customers.
"As soon as we became aware of the matter this afternoon ... we reached out and apologised and the employee's position was terminated.
"We apologise profusely for the upset and hurt this has caused."
The couple said they were happy to see there were repercussions for the staff member and hoped it would be a "learning opportunity" for him.
Celebrity chef Neil Perry is part owner and chief chef of Rockpool Dining Group, which also runs high-end restaurants Rockpool and Spice Temple as well as several casual outlets.
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