McDonald's Fires Employee Who Allegedly Refused To Serve 'Anyone with a Badge'
A McDonald’s employee who refused to serve a pair of paramedics has been fired after one of those refused service said the worker did not want to wait on “anyone with a badge.”
The Miami Herald, citing a since-deleted Facebook post by paramedic Anthony Quinn of Sunstar Paramedics, wrote that the incident took place Wednesday night in Madeira Beach, Florida.
“I walk into McDonald’s just to use the bathroom and an employee goes we don’t accept officers in here,” wrote Quinn, according to Newsweek.
“I tell her I’m not an officer. She then says anyone with a badge,” he wrote. A few minutes later, his partner entered to get something to eat.
The worker “says it to my partner as he walks in to order food, says we don’t serve your kind here,” Quinn posted.
“Just insane how people are,” Quinn added.
“Corporate will be notified,” Quinn wrote. “I would not recommend this place if that’s how employees treat guests.”
On Thursday, Caspers Company, which operates the franchise, issued a Facebook apology.
“We are aware of the unfortunate incident that took place at one of our restaurants last night. We, like you, were upset and disappointed and took immediate action. The employee has been terminated,” the response said.
“What occurred does not reflect the values of our brand, our franchise, or the love and admiration we have demonstrated consistently for our friends in law enforcement and first responders. We have reached out to offer our sincerest apology,” the response said.
At least one critic was not appeased.
@McDonaldsCorp I am boycotting Mcdonalds because of the way you didn’t handle the florida incident about an employee not serving anyone with a badge or letting them use the rest room, even thou they fired the person ,corporate didn’t respond to yahoo lifestyes right away or any
— nicolle summers (@NicolleSummers) August 3, 2019
Quinn later responded on Facebook.
“The events that occurred the other night were unfortunate. In my frustration of the situation I took to social media which probably wasn’t the best,” he wrote.
“There were other ways the situation could have been handled, that’s my fault and I apologize.”
“I understand the employee was terminated and McDonald’s took appropriate action, thank you. I will not be answering phone calls or messages about interviews so please stop blowing my phone up. I am putting the situation behind me and going to continue to help people to the best of my ability. Thank you,’ he wrote.
Posters who responded to Quinn on Facebook said he should have no regrets over making the incident public.
“There are consequences for everything Quinn,” wrote a poster using the name Rebecca Reagin. “People need to be responsible for their actions, that’s what’s wrong with this country, nobody takes responsibility anymore for the things they say or do. Don’t be hard on yourself. If it wasn’t you it would of been someone else. Just keeping doing the amazing job you do by HELPING SAVE LIVES.”
“If the roles were reversed you would’ve been destroyed in the media and probably never work as a medical professional again,” wrote a poster using the name Katherine Simoneaux. “You can’t be responsible for what others say and do. Things like that are shared all the time, especially amongst law enforcement because nobody wants to go somewhere they aren’t wanted and potentially get contaminated food. Like others said, people have to be responsible for their actions. Hopefully this person learned that you can’t act like that while on the job without consequences.”
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