Seattle chocolate shop fires staff member after she refused to serve two police officers 


Seattle chocolate shop fires staff member after she sparked outrage by refusing to serve two police officers

  • Chocolati cafe owner Christian Wong said both parties had agreed to ‘part ways’ 
  • Initially defended the female employee for refusing to serve the police officers
  • She told the officer and the trainee, ‘No, I won’t serve you’ in Seattle on Tuesday 

A Seattle chocolate shop employee was fired after she refused to serve two police officers last week. 

The employee left after Chocolati cafe owner Christian Wong decided ‘it was in the best interests of both parties to part ways with the team member’. 

She had refused to serve the officer, who was accompanied by a trainee, at the shop on N. 45th Street, telling the pair ‘No, I won’t serve you.’ 

The employee, who was described as a ‘white female with green streaks in her hair’, initially ignored the police pair who had entered the shop around 4:30pm on Tuesday, before refusing to sell them a box of chocolates. 

An employee at Seattle's Chocolati cafe (pictured) was fired after she refused to serve two police officers last week

An employee at Seattle’s Chocolati cafe (pictured) was fired after she refused to serve two police officers last week

The Chocolati employee refused to serve the officer and trainee (not pictured) at the shop on N. 45th Street (file photo)

The Chocolati employee refused to serve the officer and trainee (not pictured) at the shop on N. 45th Street (file photo)

President of the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild Mike Solan said the pair ‘were met with a bit of hostility.

‘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, he told Fox News.

Chocolati initially defended the woman’s right to free speech in a statement posted to Facebook on Wednesday, the day after the incident. 

It said: ‘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.’

Chocolati has at least five shops in Seattle, Washington state, and sells boxes of chocolates and hot drinks

Chocolati has at least five shops in Seattle, Washington state, and sells boxes of chocolates and hot drinks 

Chocolati patrons can pick and chose chocolates to go into boxes of up to 24 pieces

Chocolati patrons can pick and chose chocolates to go into boxes of up to 24 pieces 

However, two days later a new statement from Wong stated the female employee had ‘parted ways’ with the company over the incident. 

The statement read: ‘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’, he added.

On Friday, a second statement from Chocolati owner Wong stated the female employee had 'parted ways' with the company over the incident

On Friday, a second statement from Chocolati owner Wong stated the female employee had ‘parted ways’ with the company over the incident

Chocolati has faced a backlash after two members of the police, an officer and a trainee, entered one of the stores and were refused service

Chocolati has faced a backlash after two members of the police, an officer and a trainee, entered one of the stores and were refused service

Solan said 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.’  

The news was broken by Seattle news outlet the Post Millennial, which said attempts to contact the chain for comment were rebuffed. 

‘Is this how you want to spend your time? Getting essential workers in trouble? Shouldn’t you be spending your time harassing homeless people?’, the reporter was told. 

The publication also said it had received a report of a similar incident at another Chocolati cafe on E. Green Lake Dr. N. after publishing the article. 

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