The boss of Nando's has apologised over a painting at the chain's new Birmingham restaurant depicting four black people in a TOASTER.
The "disturbing" artwork on the wall in the seating area was spotted by a horrified diner at the branch at Perry Barrr's One Stop shopping centre.
It depicts four black people in tatty clothing standing inside a toaster.
The diner branded it "completely insensitive to one of the worst periods of human history".
The customer, 29, a property investor who is black, was appalled and said the painting dehumanised people of colour.
So he directly messaged Nando's UK CEO Colin Hill on LinkedIn.
Mr Hill apologised for the painting, and confirmed it had been taken down from the wall in the branch.
But the customer criticised Mr Hill's response as "standard" and accused him of "failing to take this serious issue seriously".
Nando's defended the artwork and said it was a statement on the "far reaching effects of social inequality in South Africa".
The customer from South Kensington, London said: "It shows four people of colour who would have been historically subject to degradation and hardship in an implement - here, a toaster - used to cook or burn bread.
"To me, it's akin to hanging a picture of someone in an oven or being chopped up. It's completely dehumanising people of colour.
"If it's an apartheid era piece of work, it is shocking they would hang it in a South African-style food chain.
"That would be like showing a picture of a black guy in chains in a Jamaican-style restaurant, or in the southern USA.
"It's an absolute disgrace that in this day and age, a painting like that can appear in as popular a food chain in modern Britain as Nando's.
"As a black man, I think this is completely unacceptable, weird, and deeply offensive.
"Many of my friends are white, and they've said they are shocked by its depiction of what I can only assume is advocated racism.
"Someone will have gone out to buy artwork for the branch, and someone decided that this was an appropriate painting.
"Who on earth could have allowed this to happen?
"I'm deeply disappointed by Nando's response, because it seems to me they're not taking this seriously enough.
"It's one thing taking it down, but it's another thing to make it clear to shocked customers that they won't make similar oversights in future again.
"I don't feel like his [Colin Hill's] response was reassuring. To me it felt quite distant, quite stock - a typical standard note of apology.
"What would I tell a child, if they saw that horrendous painting on the wall?
"Everybody should be offended by this painting - black, white, and Asian."
The customer popped in for a bite to eat at around 1pm on October 23, the day after the Perry Barr branch opened in One Stop Shopping Centre.
He said he didn't complain at the restaurant, but directly messaged Mr Hill when he got back home that afternoon via LinkedIn.
Apologising, Mr Hill responded: "Thank you for contacting me to share your concern and I would like to apologise for how this specific artwork made you feel.
"Firstly let me reassure you that this artwork has been removed.
"It's depiction and potential interpretation had already been identified during our review of the restaurant before being open to customers and should have been removed.
"It was an over site [sic] on our behalf that this hadn't happened before we welcomed our first guests.
"Secondly we will investigate as to how this specific artwork came to be displayed in one of our restaurants.
"Nandos has the largest collection of southern African art in the world.
"Our successful programme to support, sponsor and provide opportunities for developing artists is extensive and long standing.
"Each of our restaurants is individually designed and our creative design team select artists and their collections to complement the bespoke design.
"On this occasion something has gone wrong with our selection process for specific artworks which has enabled this piece and its potential interpretation to appear.
"We are a purpose led business which takes pride in nurturing a culture of diversity and inclusion for our customers, staff and partners we work with and with our local communities.
"I can assure you this is firmly at the heart of everything we try to do but we will occasionally get things wrong.
"I apologise again for how this has appeared in our collection and restaurant and for how it has made you and others feel.
"I will be reviewing our process to ensure it doesn't happen again."
But unhappy with his response, the customer wrote back and claimed Mr Hill's "sentiment is lacking emotiveness".
After Mr Hill apologised again, but the customer hit back: "Just corporate nonsense, you fail to realise there would have been children in the restaurant and a specific demographic that would have been highly offender by that picture - I don't understand how such an oversight could have occurred in a company of your stature - and indeed a company that houses an extremely diverse customer base that transcends race.
"I guess, in some part the matter is closed."
Nando's employs around 8,000 staff in the UK and, as of 2013, had over 280 branches in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
It claims to have the largest collection of South African art in the UK, with over 5,000 works displayed in restaurants.
Original artworks are commissioned by the company.
A spokesperson for Nando's said: "As a proudly South African brand we are the biggest collectors of Southern African Art in the world and every Nando’s restaurant displays original artworks from artists based in our homeland.
"Often these works depict scenes from South Africa's history or comment on the current social situations there.
"In this instance artist, Khaya Sineyile from the New Crossroads township in Nyanga, Cape Town takes issue with the far reaching effects of social inequality in South Africa.
"Using common household objects in juxtaposition with his subjects Khaya aims to create discussion around issues often ignored.
"We understand that art is subjective and without context the work could be misinterpreted, we have apologised for any offence that this artwork might have caused."
