The management of a restaurant defended her staff after the cashier declined to assist a police officer in uniform, saying that they were under no obligation to do so. Corporate, however, decided that she can participate in her colleague’s punishment after hearing the manager defend the employee’s behavior.
Sergeant Kenneth Horton stopped by Cook Out, a barbecue joint in North Carolina, and stepped up to the counter to order a midnight snack, when a cashier denied him service, prompting another employee to greed Horton; as the cashier abruptly turned to look at the officer before leaving for the restaurant’s back, refusing to serve the veteran Roxboro police.
Feeling insulted, Sgt. Horton chose to walk out of the establishment without placing an order, as he was perplexed and asked as to what had transpired with the other cashier. The second employee then responded that they refused to serve a police officer.
News of the cashier’s reluctance to serve Sgt. Horton rapidly went viral online, prompting a prompt investigation from Cook Out’s corporate headquarters. Despite the fact that the officer reportedly never mentioned the incident, prompting a prompt investigation from Cook Out’s corporate headquarters. After treating a customer unfairly because of their profession, the cashier was dismissed shortly.
“We’re saddened that an employee denied service to a police officer. We promote unity,” Roxboro Police Chief David Hess told WTVD, “Unfortunately, it’s all because of a small action that could have been avoided.”
However, news of the blatant refusal percolated to upper management at Cook Out, who took brutally swift action. Manager Taren Woods argued that an employee shouldn’t be required to serve an officer, adding that she wouldn’t enforce such a rule, when her employer questioned manager Taren Woods about why she didn’t step in to stop the cashier from refusing service to the police, defending her coworker’s behavior.
Woods said, “If [employees] don’t feel comfortable taking somebody else order, then, you know, it’s not wrong for them to have somebody else to take their order or contact the manager.”
The district manager told Woods that she may participate in their fate if she felt the same way as her employee after hearing her justification. Woods’ employment was terminated on that day.
“[The district manager] told me that I should’ve went outside and got the officer’s attention and, I guess, offer to take his order. I’m mad, I’m pissed. I was hurt,” she explained.
“Honestly, now, no. I just know that I need to find something else quick. I got bills and I got kids,” Woods replied when asked if she wants her job back.
Sgt. Horton and his department wanted to be clear that they had nothing to do with either Woods’ or the cashier’s termination when they learned of the outcome. Horton had no idea that his negative experience with the restaurant employee had been exposed.
“We did not contact corporate directly asking them to fire this employee. Cook Out took it upon themselves to take action,” Hess said.
Since then, Woods has given numerous interviews to the media and now claims that she first was unaware that the officer had been sent away since she was working in the restaurant’s back. She continued by saying that she wished the employee had gone to her right away so she could take care of the problem. According to WNCN, she yet accuses the district manager of being insensitive to her situation.
Saying, “He told me he had to let me go because I didn’t take control of the situation, saying how I should have gone outside to take the cop’s order.”
“Mind you it was midnight and policy states that we’re not allowed outside the building after 9:45. So why would I go outside to chase down a cop,” Woods said.
In fact, Woods claims that if she had known that the employee had been rejected, she would not have had an issue fulfilling Sgt. Horton’s instruction. As she asserts that the officer’s line of work has nothing to do with her defense of the cashier.
“It is frustrating because it’s a lie. And they got all this stuff stirred up. And I lost my job and I got four kids… So yeah, that’s not fair at all.”
Woods, who has four kids, was fired after ten years of employment at Cook Out. The former manager emphasized that she does not want to be rehired at the restaurant, despite some people defending her.
Watch the video below for more details: