Jason Laska said he picked up a pepperoni pizza from Little Caesars in his neighborhood on Saturday night while running errands for his wife. But when he got home, his wife Misty noticed an upside-down swastika arranged in pepperoni slices on the cake.
“I look back at him a little bit and say, ‘Oh my God!'” Misty Laska told Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS.
Jason said he was contacted by both the Little Caesars corporate office and the franchise owner in his neighborhood, who apologized for the “callous joke among employees.”
“So it wasn’t cut or anything like that,” said Jason Laska. “They did it as a joke and never intended to go to a customer.”
However, the couple felt that the gesture, even if it was a private joke, was unacceptable in a workplace.
“Even jokingly, it’s absolutely unacceptable,” added Jason.
Jill Proctor, a spokeswoman for Little Caesars, sent a statement to WEWS, confirming that the responsible employees were fired.
“We have zero tolerance for racism and discrimination in any form, and these franchise employees were immediately fired. We are deeply disappointed that this has happened, as this conduct is completely against our values,” said Proctor. to WEWS. “We have also contacted the client to discuss this personally with him.”
Still, Misty said firing employees wasn’t enough, and she hoped they’ve learned a lesson about hate.
“What repercussions are you getting from that?” he said to WEWS. “Just ending, when can you go down the street and find another job?”
The Laskas hoped that by sharing their experience, they could encourage people to learn the history and symbolism behind the Nazi emblem.
“This is the kind of thing that continues to fuel the hatred and confusion that exists in the country and in the world,” said Jason.
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