Chili’s Apologizes After Manager Takes Away Veteran’s Free Meal On Veterans Day

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Chili’s says it’s investigating after an army veteran in Texas said his free Veterans Day meal was taken away after someone else at the restaurant called his service into question.

The customer, who was accompanied by his service dog, recorded his interaction with a Chili’s manager as the man questioned whether or not he had served in the military, despite the fact that he said he’d already shown his documentation — what’s known as a DD Form 214 — saying just that, KDFW-TV reports. He says he enlisted in the army at 16, and it changed his life.

The man believes it was another customer, also a veteran, who called his military record into question. That prompted the manager to approach him and take away his to-go box, saying he hadn’t proved he was a veteran.

He posted the video to Facebook, where it caught Chili’s attention. The company says it’s now looking into the matter.

“Our goal is to make every guest feel special and, unfortunately, we fell short on a day where we serve free meals as a small token to honor our Veterans,” a company spokesperson told the news channel. “We are taking this very seriously and the leaders in our company are actively involved with the goal of making it right.”

The customer’s attorney said she’s meeting with Chili’s general counsel this week, and that one attorney has already apologized. The man is planning to file assault charges against the manager, and wants him to receive sensitivity training.

Army veteran says free burger taken away by Chili’s manager after service questioned [KDFW-TV]

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