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Chili's is facing public backlash after Army veteran Ernest Walker said his free Veterans Day meal was taken away from him at a restaurant in Cedar Hill, Texas, where the manager questioned his military service, according to USA Today. Walker, who was accompanied by his service dog, Barack, recorded his interaction with the restaurant manager and shared it on Facebook.
Prior to the exchange, Walker, who is African American, said he was waiting with his service dog for his to-go order when an older white man wearing a Trump shirt approached him and asked about his military service. The man, who claimed to have served in World War II, told Walker "that they did not let Blacks serve over there," according to Walker. He ignored the man and continued to wait while the waitress gathered his food into a container.
Walker said that about 35 minutes later the manager approached and told him a guest, presumably the older man, said he was not a real soldier because he was wearing his hat indoors.
"He asked for my military ID, I was calm, and provided it to him," Walker said in a Facebook post.
You served America. Let us serve you. All US Veterans and active duty personnel can enjoy a meal on us today. #VeteransDay A photo posted by Chili's Grill & Bar (@chilis) on Nov 11, 2016 at 8:10am PST
Chili's is reportedly looking into the incident and has expressed regret. A rep for the restaurant told KDFW-TV:
"Our goal is to make every guest feel special and, unfortunately, we fell short on a day where we serve free meals as a small token to honor our Veterans. We are taking this very seriously and the leaders in our company are actively involved with the goal of making it right."
But the incident set off a firestorm on social as people called for a boycott of Chili's.
Walker's attorney now plans to meet with attorneys for the restaurant, according to CBS 11, which said Walker is looking to file assault charges against the manager who took his meal away. He also wants the manager to undergo sensitivity training.
