McDonald’s employee fired for refusing service to paramedics: ‘We don’t accept anyone with a badge’
A McDonald’s employee was terminated for refusing to serve two paramedics while mistaking them for police officers.
This week, Anthony Quinn of Sunstar Paramedics wrote on Facebook that he had walked into the McDonald’s at Madeira Beach in Florida to use the restroom but was denied by the employee.
According to a screenshot from ABC Action News, Quinn’s post read, “...An employee goes, ‘We don’t accept officers in here. I tell her I’m not an officer. She then says, ‘anyone with a badge,’ then says it to my partner as he walks in to order food, says, ‘We don’t serve your kind here.’ Just insane how people are.”
A corporate representative of McDonald’s did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment.
Caspers Company, which owns the Madeira Beach location tells Yahoo Lifestyle:
“We are aware of the unfortunate incident that took place at one of our restaurants last night. We, like you, were upset and disappointed and took immediate action. The employee has been terminated. What occurred does not reflect the values of our brand, our franchise, or the love and admiration we have demonstrated consistently for our friends in law enforcement and first responders. We have reached out to offer our sincerest apology.”
The spokesperson told Yahoo Lifestyle that the store respects law enforcement. “We love, admire, and support them in any way we can. We do our best to be there for them when they need us as they are always there for us...”
Quinn did not respond to Yahoo Lifestyle for comment. He wrote on Facebook that he regretted posting about the incident. “...There were other ways the situation could have been handled, that's my fault and I apologize. I understand the employee was terminated and McDonald's took appropriate action...”
Last month, the Twitter hashtag #DumpStarbucks spread when a Tempe, Arizona barista asked six police officers to leave the store because a customer “did not feel safe” around them.
A Starbucks spokesperson reportedly told FOX 10,“We have a deep respect for the Tempe Police and their service to the community. We've reached out to the Tempe Police Department and Tempe Officers Association to better understand what happened and apologize. We want everyone in our stores to feel welcomed and the incident described is not indicative of what we want any of our customers to feel in our stores."
Starbucks’ vice-president Rossann Williams reportedly said, "When those officers entered the store and a customer raised a concern over their presence, they should have been welcomed and treated with dignity and the utmost respect by our partners (employees). Instead, they were made to feel unwelcome and disrespected, which is completely unacceptable."
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