In a similar case to what was reported a mere week ago, two restaurant employees in Alexandria, Virginia have been fired for refusing to serve a police officer this past Monday.
One of the former employees, who worked Noodles & Co, a fast-casual restaurant, commented, “You have to take me off the line, I ain’t serving that,” in earshot of the female police officer.
The other employee, who was stationed behind the cash register, laughed. The female officer abruptly left.
The Alexandria police chief subsequently called the store’s manager on Tuesday, and after an investigation, the employees were dismissed.
Following the incident, the Alexandria Noodles & Co. location posted a notice to their front window, which states, “We are proud to support our local police and public safety personnel.”
In a company statement, the Broomfield, Colorado-based corporation emphasized that “discrimination of any kind is never tolerated at Noodles & Company,” and that “the views and actions of these individuals are in no way reflective of the company or team at our Alexandria location.”
Noodles & Company also highlighted that they worked in full cooperation with the Alexandria Police Department, and that they “have the utmost respect for law enforcement officials and value the relationship we have built with [them].”
Allison Silberberg, the mayor of Alexandria, also weighed in, saying she “appreciate[d] Noodle & Company’s swift and thorough response to and full-throated apology for this unfortunate situation.”
She also commented that “this situation was an anomaly,” and that she was grateful to police officers “for their service and courage.”
