A man who is a full-time soldier and part-time taxi driver is speaking out after a drive-thru worker allegedly uttered a racial slur.

Ronald Delice says he was taking four passengers for an early-morning burger run through the drive-thru at a Burger King in Dieppe, N.B. last week. While waiting for food, a song by African-American rapper 50 Cent came on the radio.

He heard one of the passengers in the backseat ask the drive-thru employee if he liked 50 Cent.

Delice says the man answered, 'No, I don't like (the n-word)', using the racial slur.

He says it was the first time he's heard such a derogatory term on the job and immediately felt disgusted.

“No one should be subject to such a slur," says Delice. “I got out of the vehicle; I spoke to him, at the window, and asked, 'How can you have that mindset in 2017?'"

The passenger in the cabs says the mood got serious very quick.

“The employee did apologize but it seemed really insincere,” says passenger Laura Dawe. “He kind of had a smirk on his face, and all he said was, 'I didn't mean anything by it'. He didn't flat out say, ‘I’m sorry I offended you’ or anything like that."

Dawe says she was impressed with how Delice handled the situation.

Burger King's head office provided a brief statement to CTV, saying it encourages a culture of care and respect for its guests and employees.

The owner of the restaurant says the employee in question was let go the following day and she conducted follow-up interviews with the rest of staff. She has also reached out to Delice’s family to talk about the incident, but he wants to hear an apology firsthand and see more businesses get to the root of the problem.

“On their webpage, they do have a page talking about diversity and inclusion; however, how frequently are those trainings? Are there any follow-ups?” asks Delice.

Delice has sent a letter to the company’s diversity department in the United States, asking for an explanation of current training and an apology. He is also considering filing a complaint with the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Cami Kepke