A Florida police department was shocked when a Pembroke Pines Arby’s restaurant denied service to one of its officers because he was in uniform.
A Pembroke Pines police officer said that a manager at the Arby’s told him they wouldn’t serve cops. The department put out a press release on the incident:
The Pembroke Pines Police Department was made aware of an incident that occurred on the evening of 09/01/2015 where one of our uniformed officers was denied service at a local Arby’s (11755 Pines Blvd) due to being a police officer.
“I am offended and appalled that an individual within our community would treat a police officer in such a manner. It is unacceptable, and I will be contacting the Arby’s CEO to demand an apology,” stated PPPD Chief Dan Giustino.
We recognize that this is an isolated incident confined to a single individual within our city, and appreciate the outpouring of support we continue to receive from the residents of Pembroke Pines. Ironically, a local mother and her daughter visited police headquarters that same evening and dropped off cookies and a ‘Thank You’ card to show their appreciation for our agency and its officers. Our department is truly grateful for the support as we continue moving forward in developing positive relationships with all members of our city.
“We are very proud of the partnerships we have built within our city, and for an incident like this to have happened is very disappointing for everyone,” said Chief Giusti
Only a few hours later, the Arby’s chain issued an apology.
Less than two hours after that release went out, police said Giustino had contacted Arby’s by phone. “Immediately following, Arby’s Chief Executive Officer Paul Brown, and Senior Vice President of Operations Scott Boatwright, contacted Chief Giustino to convey their sincere apologizes on behalf of their organization,” police said.
“Both gentlemen assured Chief Giustino that the employee’s behavior was unacceptable and not representative of the company’s values. Chief Giustino was appreciative and accepted their apology and now considers this matter closed.”
Arby’s also responded from company headquarters in Atlanta with a statement.
“We take this isolated matter very seriously as we respect and support police officers in our local communities,” the statement said. “As soon as the issue was brought to our attention, our CEO spoke with the Police Chief who expressed his gratitude for our quick action and indicates the case is closed.
“We will be following up with our team members to be sure that our policy of inclusion is understood and adhered to.”
It is outrageous that a uniformed officer would be treated this way.