Restaurant responds to 'Minorities Need Not Apply' on 'Help Wanted' sign

A controversial sign at Kennedy's Home Cooking restaurant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, has been causing issues for the business' employees.

The "help wanted" sign included the phrase, "Minorities need not apply" in both English and in Spanish at the bottom.

A photo of the sign went viral over the weekend after a customer shared the image to social media.

The post sparked a flurry of reactions. Some users vowed to report the restaurant to law officials, others swore off ever eating at the restaurant again and called for other customers to do the same.

But the restaurant owner -- Sook "Sue" Shin -- says the incident is just a huge misunderstanding, FOX Carolina reported.

"That day we probably only had 20 customers, and me and the other girl that was working, we didn't make hardly any money. We had phone calls all day harassing us," said Melonie Henderson, a server at the restaurant.

Shin is Japanese. And her husband, who is Korean, purchased the sign on eBay.

Shin contends that they didn't entirely understand all of the writing on the sign.

"I never ever meant that, so I'm really sorry. Please forgive me," Shin told WYFF.

"They thought it meant minors, not minorities," said Henderson.

SEE ALSO: Restaurant tapes Kaepernick's jersey to the floor as a doormat

The restaurant has since replaced the sign with an apology that reads: "Dear Customers. I am the owner Sue. I am really sorry for the sign that posted (earlier). I didn't know what it meant. After I know, I took it off immediately. English is not my first language. And I never thought about it again. I sincerely apologize for (everything)."