Texas fast food joint accused of denying service to police
LEWISVILLE, Texas -- Two police officers said that the workers at a North Texas fast food restaurant did not serve them Tuesday night because of the uniforms that they were wearing, CBSDWF.com reports.
Officer Cameron Beckham and reserve deputy Michael Magovern were set to work overnight traffic security at a construction area along Stemmons Freeway. But prior to the start of their shift, they stopped by a Whataburger location in Lewisville for a bite to eat.
The visit did not turn out so well.
According to the officers, workers at the restaurant denied them service. An employee told the men, "We don't serve police."
Strawn City Deputy Marshall Michael Magovern spoke with Emily Trube of CBS Radio's 1080 KRLD.
"He said it with a straight face, no smile and just stared at us," said Magovern. "Even if he was joking, I'm not going to eat here because I don't trust that."
Magovern says that he knows Whataburger, as a company, to be very supportive of law enforcement.
"I knew right off the top this was not a Whataburger corporate issue," said Magovern. "This was a single location, employee with a problem issue."
Whataburger responded to the situation Tuesday night on Twitter, calling the restaurant's actions "completely unacceptable" and promising to "address this as soon as possible." It later said the employee in question had been fired.
The officers plan to discuss this issue with Whataburger's corporate executives on Wednesday afternoon, including a meeting with the area's district manager. They believe that this is an isolated incident related to just this one restaurant. Employees at the Lewisville location would not comment further.
Earlier this month, an Arby's employee in Florida was accused of denying a police officer service but later claimed it was all a joke.