Five Guys burger chain recently fired six or seven employees at its Daphne, Alabama location after they refused to serve a couple of cops that walked in on Tuesday, July 7. A Law enforcement source first reported the incident to Fox10 and said the following:
A law enforcement source told FOX10 News that Daphne officers were refused service late Tuesday night by several employees at the Five Guys restaurant at the Jubilee Square shopping center.
The officers said the employees turned their backs on them when they entered the restaurant.
The officers said one of the employees was overheard saying, “I’m not serving them.” The officers left and went to another restaurant. The officers claim six or seven employees acted together.
A sign on the door to the establishment states the restaurant is not open to dine-in service and that masks are required for entry. The sign states the establishment offers curbside, carryout and delivery service options.
In a follow-up response to the incident, Five Guys posted on its Twitter page.
Hi there. Please know, that the actions and sentiments of a few employees in Daphne AL, do not represent Five Guys or the local franchisee. The actions the Daphne AL franchise has taken include termination and suspension of the employees involved.
The statement continued:
Five Guys and the Daphne, AL franchise want to thank the Daphne Police Department for their support in working together toward a resolution. The actions the Daphne, AL franchise have taken include termination and suspension of the employees involved. The store has temporarily closed for further education and customer service training with a representative from the Daphne Police Department and will reopen at 4PM today, July 10th. As we uphold our commitment to fair, respectful, and equal treatment for all customers, please know that the actions and sentiments of a few employees in Daphne, AL do not represent Five Guys or the local franchisee.
Social media helped fuel the fire by spreading misinformation about the encounter, and the Daphne Police Department released its own statement:
The Daphne Police Department appreciates the outpouring of support from our community and from supporters of Law Enforcement across the country. We also want to thank Five Guys on a corporate and local level. We have been working through this situation and there has been total cooperation. The Daphne Police Department does not think that the actions of a few employees represent Five Guys as a whole. To clarify some misinformation that has been spread on social media, on July 7th three officers of the Daphne Police Department entered the Five Guys restaurant in Daphne. The three officers became aware of the mask requirement. They returned to their vehicles to obtain masks. All three officers were wearing masks the entire time they were inside of the establishment. The events that occurred while the officers were in the restaurant were unfortunate. We will continue to work with Five Guys on this matter towards resolution once all the facts are known.
The discrimination comes as police have been the target of hateful rhetoric and violence following several months of nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd.
One Response