If you’re anything like, oh, 99% of New Yorkers, the morning rush is made better by things: coffee and carbs. And perhaps one of the most tried-and-true places to get your fix without breaking the bank is none other than Dunkin’ Donuts. Is there any better pick-me-up for a summertime work week slump than a glazed doughnut washed down by an iced coffee? We think not.
Now, the fast food behemoth is feeling the heat after an incident with two cops. The exchange involved two plainclothes NYPD officers with their badges and pistols on their belts who were denied service at a Bedford Stuyvesant outpost of Dunkin’ Donuts’ / Baskin Robbins. Apparently, a clerk said he “doesn’t serve cops.”
Thursday, a Dunkin’ Donuts spokeswoman Michelle King said in a statement that the owner of the franchise let them know about the issue immediately upon learning of it this week. “He contacted one of the police officers involved to personally apologize for any negative experience he may have had in his store,” King said.
Now, the head of a local police union called the Detectives’ Endowment Association, Michael Palladino, has called for a boycott of the popular chain as a result of the event.
“[It’s] disgraceful and it should not go unattended,” Palladino said of the incident. Since King’s apology on behalf of Dunkin’ Donuts didn’t include the entire NYPD as Palladino wanted, it is not known if Palladino’s call for avoiding the chain in an agency-wide boycott still holds true.
A manager of the store has spoken up regarding the incident, according to Eater. The manager said the police weren’t in the right spots to place their orders but were in an area where customers get their doughnuts. According to the manager’s claims, they did not realize they were officers when this happened.
