An Atlanta Popeyes restaurant has reportedly suspended an employee after former “American Idol” runner-up Bo Bice complained that he was discriminated against because he’s white.

Mr. Bice said he was ordering food Friday from the Popeyes at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport when a black female employee made a racial comment.

“The three ladies behind the counter asked whose food it was,” he told a local Fox News affiliate. “Just when I turned around, one of them said ‘that white boy.’”

“If tables had been turned and I used something as insensitive like that. … I would be boycotted, people wouldn’t buy my albums,” he added.

Mr. Bice on Sunday wrote about the “racist” incident in a Facebook post, but he said it was deleted because it reportedly violated Facebook’s community standards. He posted another message Monday slamming Facebook for silencing his opinion and criticizing the Popeyes restaurant for not apologizing immediately.

On Tuesday, the restaurant announced that the general manager had apologized to the singer personally.

“Mack II Inc. is very sorry that the incident occurred and for any pain or embarrassment that Mr. Bice experienced,” the statement said. “The company does not condone the behavior of one of our associates and we took corrective action as soon as we were made aware of the incident. Also, we will require retraining of our associates to ensure this isolated incident does not occur again.”

Mr. Bice received a wave of mixed attention on social media for his complaint. Some commenters cheered the singer for standing up to intolerance and “reverse racism,” while others accused him of trying to diminish the struggle that racial minorities face every day. Mr. Bice took to Facebook again Wednesday morning to defend his views.

“I’m not sorry I spoke up about the incident at Popeye’s at Atlanta Airport,” he wrote. “The backlash on social media from speaking out proves my point that we have a major problem with racial prejudice in our country and society.”