 Diner refuses to serve man food, he shows up in uniform next day. Baker had been in the line for 45 minutes and now she was telling him that she couldn't serve him and wouldn't even tell him why. People didn't often disobey him and make him feel like they were in command. He could see that his authority would have no weight here. She must have been arrogant to who he was. He was excited to see the look on her face when she realized who she was dealing with. He was ready for his day off, he had been working consecutive 12-hour shifts, and only wanted to sit down and relax for one day. Karl Baker from Alexandria just wanted a break. He had meticulously planned this day, among the most important things on the agenda was sleeping in and eating out. He would also go outdoors and soak up some sun and fresh air. Then when the evening came he would open a cold one and watch some TV. Baker's dog woke him up by jumping on him. He opened one eye and saw the sun shining through the curtains. It was past 12 already, he smiled and got dressed. He made himself a coffee and thought about what was next on the agenda. After a moment of thought he decided to go to the local diner, he had never had time to go there before but apparently, the food was great. What he didn't know was how much he'd regret going there. They peered at him with dirty looks. It had been a while since someone had looked at him like that. When he was wearing his work uniform they normally treated him a little differently. But here no one knew who he was. Baker walked into the diner and stood at the back of the line. He could feel his hunger grow as he waited. He looked up at the menu and decided what he wanted. The minutes passed by. After looking at the menu he narrowed down his options to two dishes. Baker was aware that with all of his great qualities he was picky when it came to food. So coming to the restaurant he had hoped that the food would satisfy his expectations. He felt that the 45 minute wait he'd have to endure in line would make it all worth it when he got his meal. But he was very wrong. Even though the wait seemed much longer than he'd anticipated, he could be patient when he needed to be. But only a little while later, his patience would start to wear thin. Baker had finally arrived at the head of the line and was ready to order his food and sit down. But what happened next would make him see red. Baker smiled and greeted the woman behind the counter. She stared back at him with a look of impatience. She was busy chewing gum and it was apparent she didn't have a good start to her day. He shrugged it off and still smiled as he asked for what he wanted. Baker thought maybe his attitude would rub off on her and she'd cheer up. He knew he could help in some way or another. He ordered the food he had decided on and to his dismay heard her say that the order wasn't available. He was surprised, but he still had his backup order. When he asked her for the other order she shook her head once again. Baker could feel his annoyance bubble up. He had been waiting for 45 minutes and now they didn't even have his food. He could see the order on the menu labeled under specials. If he had known from the start that the food he wanted wasn't available he wouldn't have bothered coming out. Her poor mood was also wearing him thin. He still kept his frustration to himself and asked what they actually did have and that they'd work from there. He stared at him with disdain as if to say that he was dumb for asking that question. He felt that her poor attitude and lack of menu items were getting to him a bit too much. He had to speak his mind. That's it, Baker thought. He stayed put and calmly said, can I speak to your manager? Without a word, she steps to the side and yells to the back kitchen. She returns her blank gaze to Baker and a woman comes out in response to her call. She looks at Baker and then to the line behind him, what's the problem here sir, you're holding up the people behind you. Now, Baker can see where the worker has got her attitude from. He knows this isn't going to be pleasant. He overlooked the insulting insinuation that he was the cause of these ridiculous lines and explained to her what happened and how management should fix the problem he sees in her establishment. Her response made his blood boil. Then, unbelievably, a female cook came out to the register to tell the manager, you better pull me off the line because I'm not serving him, gesturing toward Baker. Surely, this was unacceptable behavior from her staff? Baker waited for the manager to take action, but she began to laugh. Baker kept his cool and calmly advised them to treat their customers better, or there would be repercussions. Just as Baker predicted, she didn't take kindly to his advice. I understand that things didn't go your way today, sir, but that's life. Now, if you could kindly remove yourself from my establishment. I don't serve men like you, she sneered. Men like me, Baker replied incredulously. What did she mean men like him? Baker had enough. He wasn't playing Mr. Nice Guy any longer. Speaking with more authority, he reiterated his purpose in speaking with her and reassured her that he was speaking up for her own good. Now, he demanded she elaborate on what she meant by men like him. But what she did next would settle any doubt in his mind about a retaliation. She was cold-faced and defiant. I don't need to explain what I meant to anyone. Get on out now before you cause a scene, she snapped. Baker was seeing red. He wasn't used to people disobeying his command like this. And he certainly wasn't used to people looking down on him. No one should be. It was clear she had no idea who he was or what authority he had at his fingertips. He often thought walking around without his uniform was a good way to see what people were really like. And this proved it. It was clear to Baker that she wasn't going to talk with him like an adult. He felt completely disrespected and ridiculed as onlookers began to take notice. He looked around at all the eyes and ears paying attention to him. His face flushed red as he realized almost everyone in the diner was looking at him. He didn't recognize anyone there, but he wondered if any of the customers recognized him. If they did, they probably wouldn't have thought any diner would have the nerve to treat him like this. With nothing further to say, Baker left the diner. He was upset, angry and mortified by their behavior, behavior that he just couldn't let go unpunished. He was going to forget about the distressing start to his day and return to deal with this or deal tomorrow during work hours in the uniform that serves as a reminder to treat and serve everybody with respect. How would they react then? The next day, Baker put on his chief of police uniform and went to work. He had a lot to catch up on from his day off. He was busy, but he had already promised himself to call into the diner and show his real face. He couldn't wait to see them shaking in their boots. And that, they did. Baker stopped by at the diner on his way back from a call out on the field. He pulled his cruiser up right outside, lucky to find a parking space, and pushed through the doors. His face was stern. The aura of his presence filled the entire diner. Baker was a broad, tall man, and with his uniform on, he seemed to exude authority. Now, everyone looked at him for all the right reasons. He was met with smiles and respect. Even the faces of all the workers suddenly perked up, including the cashier who was now much more attentive. She welcomed him with a smile that slowly faded once she recognized him. Dropping formalities, he asked for the manager. Tentatively, the cashier called for the manager. This time, however, she walked to the back kitchen door and yelled. Now, she was minding her manners it seemed. Baker stood with one hand resting on his waist belt, and another holding a radio device. He for sure looked the part. Especially as his radio called bleeped with officer updates. He waited for her to come out. Today, however, a different manager was working. But she was very distressed by what Baker told her and immediately apologized. She also vowed to launch an internal investigation into the activities of her coworker. Shortly after, the story reached social media as witnesses who were there posted about the poor handling of the officer. Now, the diner was forced to release a statement. A spokesperson for the diner didn't try to deny the claims when asked about the staff's shocking treatment of the officer. She told reporters that it had all happened just like Baker described. The restaurant was appalled that an officer of the law was shown so much disrespect and promised to look further into the matter. But would it be enough? A public statement. The statement read that they expect the highest ethical and personal behavior from its team members. We value each of our guests and are committed to treating everyone with dignity and respect. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination. We are working with the appropriate authorities and local police association representatives to get to the bottom of and resolve this matter as quickly as possible, the statement added. We have made efforts to reach out to the police officer involved, but have not yet spoken with him. We will continue to look into the situation and will take the appropriate actions at the conclusion of this review. Despite the establishment's rush to save face, the story quickly began doing the rounds on Twitter and Facebook, to the outrage of thousands of users. I don't know why the offended officer doesn't sue for $150,000. This is no different than the Oregon Bakeries refusing to make a wedding cake for a gay couple. Discrimination is discrimination, one furious reader wrote, while another took a more pragmatic view. If I was a cop, I'd be way less concerned about these people who are openly anti-police than I would about what someone quietly harboring resentment and handling my food. Even though Alexandria Police Union representative Pete Feltham commended the diner for its cooperation and swift apology, the damage had already been done even when the diner scrambled to hang posters supporting police officers outside the restaurant. He added that he felt that Baker handled the situation perfectly he disengaged rather than escalating the confrontation. However, he said that he was surprised that an incident such as this happened in Alexandria, because the police force typically has a good relationship with residents and local businesses. None of Feltham's words did anything to quell the ire of the public, however. Hundreds of comments were left on the diner's Facebook page, angrily informing them that they were going to be permanently boycotted and encouraging other patrons to do the same. Following the incident, there has even been talk among social media users to steal from the diner. However, Baker made his position on this clear. He declared how he is not in support of cancel culture nor does he want to see any crime come to the diner as a result of this. He also discourages anyone from trying to boycott the establishment. Take the high road, he urged. The actions of a few does not equate to the actions of many. Two wrongs don't make a right, after all. In response to the enormous amount of backlash, the diner made good on its promise. They released an official statement less than a week later, according to The Washington Post. In a statement, the company said that the views and actions of these individuals were inexcusable and do not reflect those of the company or the rest of the staff at the Duke Street location, the source said. We have concluded the two team members in question acted inappropriately, and we immediately terminated their employment, the company said in the follow-up statement. 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. But that's not all. The night manager and the restaurant tracked Baker down to apologize for the shocking behavior of the three members of staff and plan to go out of their way to make it clear to everyone where they stand with regards to supporting law enforcement. The situation even got the attention of Alison Silberberg, Alexandria Mayor. She expressed that she appreciates the company's full-throated apology for this unfortunate situation. But how do other members of the police force feel about the whole thing? Well, your first response as a police officer is anger, the head of the police department told the local station. These are very difficult times right now with our relations with everyone, and to have one of my officers treated in that manner unnecessarily, your first response is anger, then you calm down a bit. When one waitress saw a similar situation unfolding, she decided to step in. Brittany could feel anger boil inside her. How could someone be so rude? She never asked for this. It also wasn't as if they were being nasty in a quiet way. They were trying to get her to agree with them and go along? The situation turned worse when she went to her boss and was told to suck it up. Brittany Spencer had been working as a waitress for the past two years, and she thought she had seen it all. Every kind of person came and went through Fat Joe's bar and grill in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. And when an elderly couple walked through the doors, she didn't think anything of it at first. However, when they took their seats, their expressions changed. Right away, Brittany knew they were going to be difficult. The couple looked around the diner with disgust slapped on their faces, as if they had just stepped into their worst nightmare. Fair enough, this wasn't a Michelin star restaurant, but the food was good. Brittany dismissed her first impressions. She knew she could cheer them up with her bubbly personality. But she had no idea how wrong she was. She approached and offered them menus. There wasn't even a hello back as she handed them menus. The woman scrunched her nose like she smelled something awful. This was going to be a difficult table. She walked away, but when she turned around, she saw the couple was pointing and laughing at another customer in the corner of the diner. The target of their bile was a regular and very pleasant customer. What was their problem? Little did Brittany know she was about to find out. The couple was deep in conversation and unaware that Brittany was standing right behind them, waiting on another table. Brittany's ears perked up and she listened in to their conversation. The words that flowed out made Brittany's stomach launch into her throat. How could they say something like that? It was beyond wrong. As Brittany came to them to take their order, they asked her what thought about the other customer. They asked Brittany if she thought it was as disgusting and wrong as they clearly did, even questioning why they would let someone like that into the restaurant. Their old faces were filled with nothing but vile judgment. Sorry, but I can't serve you. And I don't agree with what you said, she told them before walking away. However, she couldn't just leave it at that and asked her manager if the table could be assigned to another employee instead. But things were about to get even more twisted. Brittany knew she couldn't serve the table with customers who held such horrible opinions on a human being, not to mention making one of their regulars feel uncomfortable. So she grabbed her bag and stormed out the door. But the repercussions of her actions were about to come back to bite her. People responded, applauding Brittany for standing up for herself, and some even called out the diner where the event took place. As she shut up her laptop and nestled into her bed, Brittany let out a sigh of relief. Everyone, it seemed, was on her side. The next day, management told Brittany she was fired. Bursting with anger, she grabbed her laptop and went straight to Facebook. She updated everyone on the disgusting development. The reactions were explosive. But I'll always choose my morals over money. See ya. She concluded. But the owners of the diner had a very different opinion. The co-owner of the diner commented that Brittany was fired because she refused to do the job she was hired for. In all her years in the industry, she said she had heard plenty of conversations she didn't agree with herself, but you just get on and do your job. Their neutral stance, however, didn't calm the stormy waters. Brittany and others said that allowing hate speech to occur in your establishment without any response was turning a blind eye which she sees as the same as saying the hateful things oneself. But Brittany still thought she had made the right decision. As for the current situation and ideals of the diner? Brittany finished up her viral Facebook post with, please feel free to leave a review on their Facebook page, Fat Joe's Bar and Grill. They received so much hate that they had to temporarily take down their Facebook page, it is however, up again. Also, not long after the situation went viral, a couple of in-person protests forced the restaurant to call the police. Despite it all, they claim that the event hasn't affected their day-to-day business and they will continue with the same moral approach. There was one key element that they conveniently left out however, that many people overlooked. Brittany acted with enough professionalism that she simply asked to switch tables, which is not a monumental request. The boss's reaction, suck it up, reveals the attitude towards their employee's comfort. But what about being allowed to refuse service to customers trying to force opinions on someone who just wants to take their meal order? And what do the owners, Joe and Whitney Wallander, have to say? Everybody has their opinions, everybody is entitled to their opinions, said Whitney, co-owner of Fat Joe's, in an interview with CBS. Whitney also says that she and her management team made the decision to send Brittany home for the day, but hadn't actually fired her for refusing to serve the group of customers. Before the staff meeting that Sunday morning, other employees at the restaurant showed the Wallander's screenshots of the post Brittany had written about the incident on Facebook. Although the post did not directly reference Fat Joe's, Tad Wallander said that Brittany's Facebook profile listed Fat Joe's as her place of work. This, he said, tied the post and the restaurant together. And they couldn't have that. Tad and Whitney didn't take kindly to being publicly called out on Facebook. After all, every establishment has a reputation to uphold. Tad was concerned that Brittany's post had changed the dynamic of the entire situation, claiming that it was very unprofessional on Brittany's part. When Brittany arrived at the staff meeting, she was promptly fired. She decided she wanted to post stuff on Facebook about being sent home, Whitney said. And we just made the business decision that we can't have employees that aren't going to make us look good as an establishment.