A restaurant manager in Manassas, Va., has gone on the defensive, rushing to apologize after an employee refused to serve eight police officers because they were carrying weapons.
The officers were on duty and had their badges displayed, Manassas Park Patch reported, but were wearing plain clothes.
The Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant general manager, Scott Lupton, said he was not working the day the officers tried to eat, but should have been immediately notified of the incident.
He also said his employee was wrong to refuse the service, Patch reported. And following widespread outrage that grabbed the attention of the national media, Mr. Lupton has rushed to apologize.
It’s a “huge misunderstanding,” he said in an email to one resident who complained to the restaurant chain’s headquarters.
He also wrote, as Patch reported: “There is no reason why those officers should have been asked to leave. … Police officers are always welcome in my establishment and even though we have a no gun policy, as a company that excludes off duty police officer[s].”
Mr. Lupton also said in the Patch report that he’s reached out to the Prince William County Police Department to apologize.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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