
Chick-fil-A has issued a grovelling apology after a Black cop was forced to pay for a meal while his white colleagues were given their food for free.
Tracey Reid, a sergeant in the Clover Police Department in South Carolina, said that he felt “humiliated” during the incident, which he feels was racially motivated.
Reid said that the incident occurred in a Georgia branch of the fast food chain a few weeks ago.
He told WOSC that he was standing with his colleagues while they were in line for their order and that they were clearly in the âsame uniform.â
However, when they were given their food for free, Reid was told that he needed to pay.
âI was kind of humiliated and embarrassed, you know, at the whole situation. It seemed like it was a racial issue to me,â he said.
Chick-fil-A Augusta owner-operator Kenny Hanna shared a statement with Channel 2 Action News in which he described the incident as an âoversight.â
âWe regret the unintentional impact this incident had and sincerely apologize to our guest,â the apology read. âWe were deeply concerned by this claim.
âIt appears to have been an honest oversight across separate lines and registers. We are strongly committed to supporting our communityâs first responders.â
Reid said that he had written a letter to the brandâs corporate office, demanding that they retrain its employees at the location in Augusta. He also said that the company needed to strengthen its nationwide policies to comply with civil rights laws.
In response, he was given two free meal cards and an apology from Chick-fil-A, which stated that the person who processed the meal was not usually at the register.
âIt said it was perceived that it was a racial incident, which I didnât like, because it wasnât perceived; it actually happened,â Reid said.
His colleague, detective Thomas Barnette, said that Reid was not âthe only one that perceived it.â
âWe all did, and itâs not perception, itâs what happened. It was a racial issue,â he added.
Barnette offered to âsay somethingâ while police officers were in the restaurant, but he says that Reid did not want to âcause a scene.â
âBut I could tell the way he looked; he just looked at his plate, he looked sad and humiliated, and that made me really mad,â he said.
The Independent has contacted Chick-fil-A and Clover Police for further comment.