Restaurant Employees Fired After Refusing to Serve Police Officer

Noodles and Company fired two employees who refused a serve a police officer at a Alexandria, Va. location of the restaurant earlier this week.

On Monday, a cook at the restaurant who saw a female police officer waiting in line allegedly told a cashier she wouldn’t cook for her, the Washington Post reports. The two employees then laughed, at which point the officer walked out.

“We have concluded the two team members in question acted inappropriately and we immediately terminated their employment,” the company said in a statement received by The Post. “We have the utmost respect for law enforcement officials and value the relationship we have built with the local Alexandria Police Department over the years.”

On Tuesday, Alexandria Police Chief Earl Cook talked to the manager at the restaurant, who apologized. The company has also apologized to the officer involved.

Noodles and Company called the language “inexcusable” in a statement, and said “discrimination of any kind is never tolerated” at the company.