EMPLOYEE AT SEATTLE CHOCOLATE SHOP FIRED AFTER REFUSING TO SERVE TWO POLICE OFFICERS

A chocolate shop employee in Seattle from the Chocolati Cafe was fired after refusing to serve two police officers.

Chocolati Cafe owner, Christian Wong, decided "it was in the best interests of both parties to part ways with the team member". 

The staff member refused to serve a police officer and accompanying trainee, telling them, "No, I won't serve you." 

The employee initially ignored the police two as they entered the store around 4:30pm and then refused to sell them a box of chocolates. President of the Seattle Police Officers' Guild, Mike Solan, said the pair "were met with a bit of hostility". He added, "But, based upon the amount of pushback that company has received from the public and across the nation is that people are still really supportive of the police." 

The day after the incident, Chocolati defended the woman's right to free speech in a statement they released to their Facebook page. 

"We have recently become aware of an incident that occurred with a team member and an officer of the Seattle Police Department who was refused service. Although we do respect this team member's freedom of speech, the actions in this instance do not represent our views as a company. We are actively working directly with this team member and the local precinct to create a more inviting, inclusive and cohesive community for all."

Two days later, Wong released a new statement explaining that the female employee had "parted ways" with the company over the incident. 

"Our team members cannot decide which customers to serve based on their own personal political beliefs. This simply is not an acceptable practice at our business... We also continue to communicate with our employees about our values and how we serve our customers to ensure an incident like this does not happen again. We will do better."

Solan added afterwards that he was willing to meet with the employee and discuss the incident. He said: "I'm hopeful that this employee can get informed... I commend the company's ownership for taking it seriously."