A Maryland man is reporting an alleged incident of racism at his local Chick-fil-A after an employee wrote “Monkeys” on his takeout order instead of his name, “Marquise.”

Marquise Vanzego told TODAY.com he went to pick up dinner after work on Aug. 23 and placed his order with an employee at the drive-thru.

Vanzego, a Black man from La Plata, Maryland, tells TODAY.com that when he first heard an employee call the animal’s name, he thought it couldn’t possibly be his. But when the employee confirmed it was an order of chicken strips, fries and an iced tea/lemonade for someone in a white van, his heart sank.

Vanzego describes how he felt when he realized that the order was meant for him. The physical feeling was not much different from that of grief or separation: “You have this little stab in your heart,” he says, “that’s how it felt.”

“You start to think about all the other incidents related to ethnic profiling that may have happened and that you’ve heard about in the news,” Vanzego continues.

He said he immediately spoke to a manager on duty, who apologized and offered to refund the order. He later spoke to a store manager named Kevin, who was not present at the time of the incident.

TODAY.com spoke with Kevin, who declined comment and declined our request to be connected to store owner John Flatley.

Vanzego recorded his conversation with the manager on duty and also what happened when he decided to go into the restaurant instead of waiting in his car for the manager to come out.

He posted the videos – along with a letter he wrote and sent to Chick-fil-A – on both Instagram and Facebook, where they received widespread public attention.

While some commenters supported him, others questioned whether it was the employee’s fault or a sloppy intercom system in the drive-thru. Vanzego told TODAY.com that although he ordered in the drive-thru, there was no intercom in use; he placed his order directly with a “white young man” who was standing outside greeting customers.