Summary The chain invited all officers in the Miami area to receive a free combo meal of their choice
MIAMI (Reuters) Arby s sandwich chain fired a South Florida restaurant manager and suspended a clerk after an unfortunate police joke led to a complaint against staff at a drive-thru.
The mix-up led to a police woman accusing the store of denying her service simply because she was a cop.
Pembroke Pines police officer Jennifer Martin, accused the clerk of refusing to accept her credit card when she ordered a meal on Tuesday at the restaurant a few miles northwest of Miami. She said the manager told her; "He doesn’t want to serve you because you are a police officer."
Martin was eventually served, but decided to return her food and was given a refund.
The next day Pembroke Pines police chief Dan Giustino issued a press release saying he had called Arby s to demand an apology.
The clerk, Kenneth Davenport, told local media that the delay in serving Martin was a mix-up as he was busy handling several customers, and that the manager s comment was meant as a joke.
Arby s appeared to accept that version in a statement on Thursday saying "we believe this was based on a misunderstanding
and ill-considered joke gone awry."
The company, which goes by the motto "Inspiring smiles through delicious experiences," said Davenport was put on temporary paid leave.
Arby s Chief Executive Officer Paul Brown wrote a public letter to all Miami area police departments on Wednesday apologizing for the incident saying it did not represent "Arby s values."
The chain invited all officers in the Miami area to receive a free combo meal of their choice on Friday.
