Instead of reacting negatively after a Dunkin’ Donuts employee jokingly refused to serve one of their own, the West Hartford local police offered positive comments to the store through social media.
Last Saturday, at the Dunkin’ Donuts at 1234 Farmington Ave., a police officer was waiting in line when an employee loudly said in front of a long queue of customers, “He didn’t get the message, we don’t serve cops here.”
“We don’t serve cops,” Dunkin Donuts employee told police officer http://t.co/RxHps5jlkd pic.twitter.com/6dIW8Wd8bI
— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) October 4, 2015
The police officer left the store after the remark, but was followed by the franchise manager and the employee with the intention of apologizing. The officer was also offered a free cup of coffee, which he refused. Instead, the officer told the employee to apologize to the customers who were offended by his comment. The store manager reached out to the Dunkin’ Donuts regional and corporate offices, and apologized on behalf of his employee. The manager is set to meet with the local police this Monday. Dunkin’ Donuts received a lot of negative comments from the community after what happened, but the West Hartford local police did otherwise.
Despite the actions of 1, we know our friends @DunkinDonuts support us. @NBCConnecticut @WTNH @FoxCT @WFSBnews pic.twitter.com/JMECvwR61d — CT State Police (@CT_STATE_POLICE) October 4, 2015
“Despite the actions of 1, we know our friends @DunkinDonuts support us,” the state police account tweeted after the said incident.
Chief Tracey Gove also said, “I’m proud of the way our officer handled the situation and grateful to Dunkin’ Donuts for their prompt response. Police officers face insults on a regular basis and we all strive to face them with professionalism.”
Meanwhile, there were no reported actions yet against the employee, but Michelle King, Dunkin’ Donuts’ senior director of global public relations, issued a statement on Sunday.
“The crew member exhibited poor judgment and apologized immediately to the police officer. The franchise owner, a long-time supporter of local police, has also reached out to apologize on behalf of the restaurant. Dunkin’ Donuts and our franchisees share a commitment to the well-being and fair treatment of all guests.”