Following massive backlash from the community, a restaurant owner in Skagit County, Washington, said him telling local law enforcement they weren’t welcome was just a misunderstanding.
Deputies from the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office went to Lucky Teriyaki Thursday for lunch, but when it came time to pay the bill, they were asked not to come back. Not believing what they were hearing, the chief deputy double-checked with the owner, who in fact confirmed that he did not want them there because they made some of his customers uncomfortable. As if that wasn’t a big enough blow, the owner also asked that they “spread the word” and let other officers know to eat someplace else.
“I understand a business owner has a right to refuse service if he wants to,” Skagit County Sheriff Will Reichardt explained in a Facebook post. “I also understand that as customers we all have the right to find some other restaurant to take our lunch break in.”
The post was met with mass negativity and many vowing to boycott the anti-cop establishment. But the following day, Sheriff Reichardt gave an update on the situation.
Additionally, Natasha Chen, a local reporter who speaks fluent Mandarin, talked with the owner, who said he speaks very poor English and did not fully understand the conversation. Chen said the owner admitted to saying the officers made his other customers “uncomfortable,” but once she explained the deputies’ feelings on the situation, the owner started crying and apologized.
[ KIRO ]
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