Late Thursday, it was announced that a Florida restaurant manager has been fired and a clerk has been suspended by The Arby’s fast food chain after a female police officer said service was denied to her because she was a cop.
Manager Angel Mirabal, 22, and clerk Kenneth Davenport, 19, had been disciplined was confirmed to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel by Arby’s spokesman Jason Rollins.
The chain is well-known for its roast beef sandwiches. It had now became the center of a national firestorm after a Tuesday night incident, when Jennifer Martin, 34, Pembroke Pines Police Sgt. Pulled up to the drive-thru and ordered a meal. But Davenport allegedly refused to ring her order up, when she handed over her credit card to pay. That prompted Mirabal to say “He doesn’t want to serve you because you are a police officer.”
Finally when Sgt. Martin received her food, she found herself in a state of discomfort to eat it, so she returned it and got back the refund. The next day, the incident was tweeted by department which Chief Dan Giustino called “unacceptable”.
He said in a statement, “I am offended and appalled that an individual within our community would treat a police officer in such a manner”.
Davenport explained the incident saying that the controversy stemmed from a misunderstanding and Maribal’s comment was an attempt at a joke. Davenport told the Sun-Sentinel due to the number of other customers he was servicing, he was unable to ring up Martin’s order. He also added saying that Mirabal made his remark after Davenport asked him with the transaction help.
On Wednesday, Davenport told reporters, “We don’t hate cops. We don’t hate anybody. We’re just trying to get people out of the drive-thru”.
WSVN reported on Thursday that the advantage of the flap between the restaurant and the Police has been taken by Arby’s rivals.
Thursday morning, McDonald’s partnered with a local radio station to deliver bags of Egg McMuffins and pancakes to the department. The station reported that a local Whole Foods store put out a spread of its own, while donuts and coffee were supplied by the residents from a local Dunkin’ Donuts.
One woman said, “We’re here today to show our love for the community and the people who take care of us as first responders in the community”.
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