A Whataburger employee has been fired after refusing to serve two North Texas law enforcement officers in uniform Tuesday.
Milford Police Officer Cameron Beckham and Strawn City Marshal's Reserve Deputy Michael Magovern were working off-duty security at a construction site on Interstate 35 when they went to the Whataburger on Main Street in Lewisville to grab a bit to eat shortly after 8 p.m., according to KDFW-TV.
Magovern told the news station that before he even had time to place his order, an employee behind the counter who identified himself as a manager looked at him and said, "We don’t serve police officers."
Initially, the two officers thought the man was joking, but the employee refused to acknowledge them and the others left and got food at a nearby Dairy Queen instead.
Whataburger apologized to the officers in a statement released Wednesday afternoon.
"We were appalled to hear of an employee refusing service to two officers, as we have proudly served first responders across our system for decades," the statement reads. "As soon as we heard of this isolated incident, we began our own internal investigation overnight. The employee that refused service is no longer employed with Whataburger. We've also invited the officers back today so we can apologize in person and make this right."
Both officers have agreed to meet with Whataburger corporate officials.
"It really strikes a nerve personally and professionally because maybe he's joking or maybe he's not," Beckham said. "But how do we trust that individual or that company to cook anyone's food now."
Magovern said he still loves Whataburger and believes this is a problem with the one location or a single employee.
"We've seen it on social media. We heard it on the news," he said. "You know, 17 years as a firefighter and now 13 years as a police officer this is the first time this has ever happened to me."
