Lewisville Whataburger "Don't Serve Police"

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LEWISVILLE (CBSDFW.COM) - Two police officers explained that the workers at a North Texas fast food restaurant did not serve them Tuesday night because of the uniforms that they were wearing.

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."

Beckham is with the Milford Police Department and Magovern is with the Strawn City Marshal's Office. Magovern spoke with KRLD NewsRadio 1080 on Wednesday. "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."

"It was just bold for somebody to say that," Magovern added. "I'm not going to judge his heart, but it kind of put me off."

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."

Magovern said 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."

The officers plan to discuss this issue with Whataburger's corporate executives on Wednesday afternoon, including a meeting with the area's district manager. Employees at the Lewisville location would not comment further.

"We are all on the same page, that this is not what Whataburger is about in any shape or form," Magovern said. "People make mistakes. Maybe he can get retrained."

But according to company, the employee that denied the officers service has been fired. A statement from the Whataburger's corporate office on Wednesday said:

We were appalled to hear of an employee refusing service to two officers, as we have proudly served first responders across our system for decades. As soon as we heard of this isolated incident, we began our own internal investigation overnight. The employee that refused service is no longer employed with Whataburger. We've also invited the officers back today so we can apologize in person and make this right.

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