CEDAR HILL, Texas – Chili's Bar & Grill issued an apology after one of its managers took a meal away from U.S. Army veteran, and after receiving a social media storm of criticism, the restaurant has removed the manager.
According toe KXAS, veteran Ernest Walker, 47, of Cedar Hill, said he received a meal as part of a "free meal to veterans" promotion on Veterans Day.
Walker finished his food and was getting ready to leave the restaurant with his service dog named "Barack." He said an elderly man wearing an American flag shirt and Donald Trump sticker told the manager on duty that Walker was not a veteran and that he shouldn't receive the free meal because Walker was wearing his hat indoors.
The incident was captured on video and shared on Walker's Facebook. The manager asked for Walker's military ID, which he gave him, including his discharge paperwork. The manager then took Walker's to-go meal.
"I looked around and I'm embarrassed at this point," Walker told KXAS. "People are looking. I'm a soldier. I'm a person and everybody's looking like I stole food."
Walker said he served in the Army's 25th Infantry Division, serving from 1987 to 1991. He said he was wearing an Army uniform without his name or rank on it on Friday because he did not want to be mistaken for an active-duty soldier.
The manager also claimed that the service dog was not a service dog, even though the dog was wearing a red service vest and certified service tags.
Chili's issued the following statement on Walker's Facebook:
"We are aware of the situation that occurred at our Chili's Cedar Hill restaurant on November 11th. Our goal is to make every guest feel special and unfortunately we fell short on a day where we serve more than 180,000 free meals as a small token to honor our Veterans and active military for their service, hence these actions do not reflect the beliefs of our brand.
We are taking this very seriously and the leaders in our company are actively involved with the goal of making it right. since the incident occurred, we have extended an apology and we are reaching out to the guest."
Walker said Chili's has still not validated him as a soldier.
"I just need him to say 'I see your ID, I see your DD214, and I respect you as a soldier, and as a man and as a customer."
The president of Chili's wrote an open letter about the incident saying that after meeting with Walker and his attorney, they personally thanked him for his service and immediately removed the manager who took the meal away.
"We are committed to making this right because this is not representative of what Chili's stands for, where every day, in every restaurant, we connect, serve and give to create the best life," Chili's President Kelli Valade wrote.
Click here to read the full open letter from Valade here.