People expressed disgust on social media after a black veteran says he was refused a free Veteran's Day meal at Chili's in Cedar Hill, Texas after another customer wearing a Trump shirt called his military service into question, Business Insider reports.
Ernest Walker posted on Facebook that the restaurant's manager came up to him demanding proof he was a veteran after the customer claimed he was only impersonating one. The manager snatched his food away even after Walker said he provided him with the documentation proving his service in the U.S. military. Walker recorded the latter part of the confrontation.
The establishment had offered a free meal for those who had served in the military to honor Veterans Day.
Walker said in his post that the incident was offensive, embarrassing and dehumanizing, and that the validity of his service dog who was with him was also questioned. His post was shared thousands of times and Chili's Facebook and Twitter accounts were flooded with criticism. Many people said they would never eat at the establishment again if the restaurant did not fire the manager and apologize to the veteran.
Walker's attorney said a lawyer for Chili's parent company, Brinker International has apologized to him on behalf of the company, and the two sides plan to meet to discuss the incident, CBS 11 reported.
Brinker also sent Walker and his attorney a written statement that states "We are taking this very seriously and the leaders in our company are actively involved with the goal of making it right."
In addition, the chain also posted several responses to complaints on its Facebook page that "Unfortunately, we fell short on a day that we strive to honor our Veterans and active military for their service."
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