Buffalo Wild Wings is facing a $5 million lawsuit after a Black disabled veteran claims a racial slur was allegedly printed on his takeout receipt during a visit to one of the chain’s Virginia locations.
According to a civil rights complaint cited by Atlanta Black Star, Marc Loman alleges that he and his wife, Natasha, visited a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in Woodbridge, Virginia, in November 2024.
The couple says they placed an order with the manager on duty, dined in the restaurant, and asked that their leftover potato wedges be boxed for takeout.
The lawsuit claims it was not until later—after the couple returned home—that they noticed a racial slur printed on both the receipt and the food packaging. The word in question was an abbreviated version of the N-word, according to the filing.
Natasha Loman also left a one-star Yelp review describing the incident, saying that a name was never requested for the order, but posted a photo with the slur in question. She also shared details of the experience in a TikTok video that quickly drew attention online.
In that video, Natasha stated that the couple arrived at the Buffalo Wild Wings location around 1:30 a.m. on November 2, 2024. She said they only discovered the alleged slur when they attempted to reheat the leftover food later that morning.
The complaint alleges the couple contacted Buffalo Wild Wings’ corporate office to report what they described as explicit hate speech.
According to the filing, a corporate vice president contacted them the following day and allegedly confirmed that the kitchen manager at the Woodbridge location had intentionally entered the slur into the system. The employee was subsequently terminated.
The lawsuit argues that the individual who allegedly typed the slur “knew, or should have known,” the emotional harm such language could cause. The filing further claims the incident was particularly distressing for Marc, who is 37 and alleges he has experienced racial harassment in the past.
According to the complaint, the incident allegedly resurfaced past trauma connected to his upbringing in the Deep South and resulted in missed work and counseling.
The Lomans are seeking a $5 million judgment, along with an additional $350,000 in punitive damages, from Buffalo Wild Wings and its parent company, Blazin’ Wings, Inc.
Buffalo Wild Wings has not publicly commented on the lawsuit beyond confirming that the employee involved was terminated.