Noodles & Company has apologized after a uniformed police officer said she was denied service at a D.C.-area location, saying the company does not “tolerate any form of discrimination.”
According to a spokeswoman with the Alexandria police department, a female officer in uniform went into a Noodles & Company restaurant on Monday evening and got in line to order, The Washington Post reports.
That’s when a cook came out of the back and told the cashier, “’You better pull me off the line, because I’m not cooking for…’ ” then gestured at the officer, the spokeswoman said. The cashier appeared confused before she saw the officer, and then laughed, the police department said.
The officer then said, “I guess you don’t want my money,” and left.
The chief of police went to the restaurant on Tuesday and spoke with management, who apologized for the incident.
Noodles & Company said in a statement that it’s “working with the appropriate authorities and local police association representatives to get to the bottom of, and resolve this matter as quickly as possible.”
At the time of the statement, the company hadn’t yet spoken with the police officer, but said it would continue to look into the situation “and will take the appropriate actions at the conclusion of this review.
“Noodles & Company expects the highest ethical and personal behavior from its team members,” the chain said. “We value each of our guests and are committed to treating every one with dignity and respect. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination.”
Recently, Taco Bell fired an employee for denying service to sheriff’s deputies.
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist