Florida McDonald's worker fired for refusing to serve paramedics: 'Just insane how people are'
MADEIRA BEACH, FLORIDA: A McDonald's worker in Florida was fired after a paramedic complained on social media that she refused to serve him saying "they don't serve badges here." Sunstar paramedic Anthony Quinn posted on Facebook that he was allegedly denied service by an employee at a McDonald's in Madeira Beach, Florida, on the night of July 31.
According to WFTS, the revelation resulted in the employee, whose name has not been revealed, being fired from the fast-food outlet.
In his Facebook post, Quinn reportedly wrote: “I am at work, in my Sunstar paramedic uniform. I walk into McDonalds [sic] just to use the bathroom and an employee goes we don't accept officers in here.”
“I tell her I'm not an officer. She then says anyone with a badge. Then says it to my partner as he walks in to order food, says we don't serve your kind here. Just insane how people are.”
Quinn then invited people to “Feel free to share and repost.”
According to the Daily Mail, the paramedic also left a negative online review of the McDonald's in question, writing again that he went into the McDonald's to use its bathroom and order food and that was when “an employee told me they don't serve badges here.” He added that when his partner walked in five minutes later, he was told the same thing.
Quinn also wrote that “Corporate will be notified” of their treatment, ending the post with “#shamemcdonalds #mcdonalds #totalinsanty #thishastostop #icallbs.”
A spokesperson for the Caspers Company, the managers of the particular McDonald's, told the Miami Herald that Quinn's initial post was spotted and forwarded to the Company. In a Facebook post of their own, Caspers Company wrote on August 1 that it had fired the worker who claimed the restaurant didn't “serve badges.”
“We are aware of the unfortunate incident that took place at one of our restaurants last night. We, like you, were upset and disappointed and took immediate action. The employee has been terminated,” the post read. “What occurred does not reflect the values of our brand, our franchise, or the love and admiration we have demonstrated consistently for our friends in law enforcement and first responders. We have reached out to offer our sincerest apology.”
Following the firing, Quinn has reportedly deleted his initial complaint post but he did put up his final thoughts about the situation, noting that “The events that occurred the other night were unfortunate.”
“In my frustration of the situation I took to social media which probably wasn't the best,' Quinn wrote. “There were other ways the situation could have been handled, that's my fault and I apologize.”
He thanked McDonald's for taking “appropriate action” in response to the employee's statement and said that he is trying to move on. Quinn reportedly wants to put the situation behind him and “continue to help people to the best of my ability.”