Did We All Overreact to the Arby's Incident?

2015-09-04T11:16:37-04:00

So it looks like it was all a misunderstanding and a joke (a bad one) that led to the sensational headlines that an officer wasn't served because of being a cop.

Did we jump to conclusions? Even thinking there was more to the story, I certainly did...

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/09/04/florida-arby-fires-manager-suspends-clerk-who-refused-to-serve-police-officer/?intcmp=hpbt2

The Arby's fast food chain announced late Thursday that it had fired a Florida restaurant manager and suspended a clerk after a female police officer said she had been denied service because she was a cop.

Arby's spokesman Jason Rollins confirmed to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that manager Angel Mirabal, 22, and clerk Kenneth Davenport, 19, had been disciplined.

The chain known for its roast beef sandwiches became the center of a national firestorm after an incident Tuesday night, when Pembroke Pines Police Sgt. Jennifer Martin, 34, pulled up to the drive-thru and ordered a meal. When she handed over her credit card to pay, Davenport allegedly refused to ring her order up. That prompted Mirabal to say "He doesn’t want to serve you because you are a police officer."

Sgt. Martin finally received her food, but said she was too uncomfortable to eat it, so she returned it and got a refund. The next day, the department tweeted about the incident, which Chief Dan Giustino called "unacceptable."

"I am offended and appalled that an individual within our community would treat a police officer in such a manner," he said in a statement.

Davenport has said the controversy stemmed from a misunderstanding, and Maribal's comment was an attempt at a joke. Davenport told the Sun-Sentinel he was unable to ring up Martin's order due to the number of other customers he was servicing. He said Mirabal made his remark after Davenport asked him for help with the transaction.

"We don't hate cops,” Davenport told reporters Wednesday. "We don't hate anybody. We're just trying to get people out of the drive-thru."

On Thursday, WSVN reported that Arby's rivals took advantage of the flap between the police and the restaurant. McDonald's partnered with a local radio station to deliver bags of pancakes and Egg McMuffins to the department Thursday morning. The station reported that a local Whole Foods store put out a spread of its own, while residents supplied donuts and coffee from a local Dunkin' Donuts.

"We're here today to show our love for the community and the people that take care of us as first responders in the community," one woman said.

As a side note McDonalds got some free publicity.

Arby's fires manager, suspends clerk who allegedly refused to serve Florida police officer

The Arby's fast food chain announced late Thursday that it had fired a Florida restaurant manager and suspended a clerk after a female police officer said she had been denied service because she was a cop.

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made Sep 4 at 2015 11:26 AM

2015-09-04T11:26:34-04:00

UUUGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 4 at 2015 11:27 AM

2015-09-04T11:27:32-04:00

Is it possible it was a misunderstanding and a joke in poor taste? Sure why not. However, if the employee did nothing wrong except ask for help from the manager why was he disciplined?

Response by GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad made Sep 4 at 2015 11:47 AM

2015-09-04T11:47:58-04:00

Personally, I think this was just another fine example of the media sensationalizing a story before they even knew the 'whole' story.

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Sep 4 at 2015 12:49 PM

2015-09-04T12:49:30-04:00

The first rule any comedian will tell you about achieving a great joke is timing. Knowing when to throw the punch line makes all the difference. Arby's is not the time nor the place for such things.

Do I believe this excuse of "It was only a joke"? Heck no, its more of the normal cover your butt actions people take when they realize that they failed or messed up on a large scale. I agree with Arby's firing the two employs. I do not agree with the call to have the police department try to find these two jobs as a sign of good faith. Let them suffer for a little bit. Let them hit rock bottom and hit it hard. Sometimes doing that leads to better results than trying to "help them" through the situation. The best help that can be given to them is to make them accountable for their choice and to make them feel the outcome of their decisions.

Did some people overreact? Oh, I'm sure, it's the American norm. Yet I'm sure that others feel Arby' and the other parties involved did not do enough.

Response by SFC Everett Oliver made Sep 4 at 2015 12:55 PM

2015-09-04T12:55:36-04:00

Not buying the just a joke routine.....If it was someone has a really bad sense of humor.....And the Officer was still right in refusing the meal....

Response by PO1 Glenn Boucher made Sep 4 at 2015 1:25 PM

2015-09-04T13:25:36-04:00

That's one of the weakest excuses for not being able to ring up a transaction I ever heard of.
A misunderstanding is one thing but this is completely wrong to say it even as a joke.
Would anyone feel comfortable if the manager told them "the cashier doesn't want to serve you because your a (fill in the blank)".
Would you take it as a joke? And then would you eat the food?
Yes the media sensationalizes the hell out of everything, but something like this, especially with all the police officers being shot lately makes you wonder how much it was sensationalized.

Response by Cpl James Waycasie made Sep 4 at 2015 3:42 PM

2015-09-04T15:42:42-04:00

Lol, well it sure got Mickey D's and Dunkin donuts a boost in sales Sir, lol

Response by SGT Jerrold Pesz made Sep 4 at 2015 6:23 PM

2015-09-04T18:23:28-04:00

According to the news this morning the manager was fired. I guess he or she doesn't think that it is a joke anymore. Unfortunately this is not something new. There are lots of smartass punks, drug heads and minor criminals working at fast food places and they have a history of fucking up your food if you are a cop. I was told to never eat anyplace where you couldn't actually see them making your food. I knew of several cases where they did things like spit in the burger or put nasty stuff in food and were seen doing it.

Response by SSgt Terry P. made Sep 4 at 2015 9:13 PM

2015-09-04T21:13:55-04:00

No worries here,I don't like Arby's anyway.

Response by PO3 John Wagner made Aug 4 at 2017 9:14 PM

2017-08-04T21:14:55-04:00

Sounds like more hype. At what point does some local idiocy become national news? Maybe when the McDonalds manager calls his boyfriend at the TV station and says "what can we do with this?"
Don't get me wrong here. I am all for law and order.
I have a great deal of respect and count on law enforcement officers to do their job... and it is often a job dealing with people at their worst.
Having said this, I know a few bad apples. Wouldn't give them the time of day and might have to give some thought to it before crossing the street to p*** on them if they were on fire.
They aren't all saints. We are expected to respect them. Unfortunately not all deserve that.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Aug 4 at 2017 10:29 PM

2017-08-04T22:29:01-04:00

https://youtu.be/s-mlPE8pxs4

Weird Arby's Guy (Original)

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