According to Amanda Conwell, Pembroke Pines police spokeswoman, a uniformed officer was denied service at the Pines Boulevard Arby’s outlet because of her profession.
“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,” Police Chief Dan Giustino said in a press statement.
Conwell stated that after Giustino called the restaurant’s corporate office, Arby’s executives apologized on behalf of their organization. She added that Arby’s CEO Paul Brown and senior vice president of operations Scott Boatwright told 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,” Conwell said.
The offense report filed by Sgt. Jennifer Martin stated that she had ordered her food and drove to the window to pay.
According to Martin, Kenneth Davenport, the clerk, took her credit card, but restaurant manager Angel Mirabal then approached the window and said, “He doesn’t want to serve you because you are a police officer.”
Martin stated that she was uncomfortable and told Mirabal that she “wasn’t certain I wanted to dine at the restaurant.”
Mirabal reportedly assured Martin that everything was OK, handed her the food, and told her that Davenport was allowed to refuse her service. Martin went into the restaurant where Mirabal gave her a refund and Davenport’s contact information.
A group of police officers’ wives showed up in front of the restaurant to protest the incident. Allegedly, the same employees called the police to deal with the protesters. Instead of giving the protesters a hard time, the police allegedly handed out ICEEs to the protesters.
“It’s upsetting to see that this is happening across the nation and people are acting so nasty and disrespectful to people (who) go out and protect everyone’s lives every day,” Adina Alsina told Local 10.
Broward County Police Benevolent Association President Jeff Marano said of the incident: “This behavior is unacceptable. The disdain and lack of respect for law enforcement, as well as the fatal attacks on the men and women in uniform in America, is due to a lack of leadership.”
Davenport’s grandfather, Thomas McCutcheon, said his grandson was just joking, and added that he’d raised Davenport “to be honest and respectful of everybody.”
He added that Davenport’s words were “taken out of context and blown into something much bigger than what it should be.”
“Children will be children,” McCutcheon said. “Nineteen years old don’t make you grown.”
