A uniformed officer carrying his service weapon was asked to leave an Outback Steakhouse restaurant because it is a designated “gun-free zone.”

Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency officer Andrew Ward went to Outback Steakhouse to have dinner with his wife Friday evening, he wrote in a public Facebook post.

Ward said in the post that a manager approached him and requested that he put his gun in his truck. Ward told the manager that he could not because he was in uniform and had to have his weapon on his person.


The manager left to make a call, Ward writes, and then returned to ask Ward and his wife to leave because Outback is a “gun free zone.”
Ward said the chain told him “there was another customer that was ‘scared for her life’ who was seated across” from the couple, and said “she was afraid because ‘police are shooting people.’”

According to Ward’s post, “This customer went on to demand to be escorted to her vehicle out of fear of being shot.”

http://www.foxnews.com/food-dr...-service-weapon.html

In fairness, the local paper posted an update article:

http://www.charlotteobserver.c...rticle198374934.html

The manager misunderstood the restaurant’s policy on guns, according to a statement from Bloomin’ Brands, Outback’s parent company, to WLOS.

“We’ve always allowed uniformed law enforcement officers to carry their side arms inside our restaurants,” reads the statement. “A manager made a mistake and we have discussed this with her. We have contacted the guest personally and apologized.”

Ward confirmed on Facebook that the chain had apologized. He said he was told another diner was “scared for her life” because “police are shooting people.” He added that he did not blame the manager and had accepted the apology along with a $100 gift card.

“They have apologized profusely and I have accepted their apology and the issue in my opinion has been concluded,” Ward told WLOS in a statement Saturday.

In a later Facebook post, Ward thanked people for their support. “There was a mistake made and that’s it … we all make mistakes and and must move forward with our lives,” he wrote. “If we move forward and learn from our past mistakes they are no longer mistakes but lessons.”

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sgalczyn,

Did that customer pay her bill before being escorted out because she was scared?

quote:

According to Ward’s post, “This customer went on to demand to be escorted to her vehicle out of fear of being shot.”

They should have called the local police to escort her to her vehicle. For her safety.

Naw, the bloomin' idiot left her bloomin' onion on the table.

I guess I'll never eat at the overpriced Outback again, then.

(Actually, I think I've only eaten there twice in the last 16 years.)

Stupid, or Liar. If she was really scared because there was a cop, and "police are shooting people," then she has to be stupid.

Or, she's a liar. To what end though? Chowser brings up an excellent point, I'm sure the emotional stress of seeing a holstered pistol on a uniformed officer could be soothed with a comped meal, and maybe some coupons.

Good job to the manager too. Not only did you give product away to some harpy looking to scam you, but also lost out on business from police, and probably fire and EMS, and just in general people who like the police. The French call that "a bad business decision." They usually say it in French though, and it's not really a saying limited to the French either. In any case, don't bother entering your initials, because you got played.

Hostility toward law enforcement from certain subcultural elements is always there, often thinly veiled. It reveals itself from time to time in incidents like this. This was not a "mistake " by the manager-it was a passive aggressive attack on law enforcement. I don't believe a word of the story about the complaining customer. Outback needs to crush that employee and show her to the door to send a clear message.

Just wondering if she had a guilty conscience about something or was afraid some old mischief she had done would surface?

Anyway we only have the one Outback in my town and I have only been there once in about ten years and now I know for sure I won't be going back.

I expected this story to have taken place in a major metropolitan area in the northeast or the west coast, but Cleveland, TN?

I am surprised that the crazy woman isn't the one who was asked to leave. If given a vote, I am sure most of the patrons in the restaurant would have picked her to be the one to go.



.

Yet another example of society bowing to the irrational complaint of one person

quote:

Originally posted by Longbow_06:
I guess I'll never eat at the overpriced Outback again

Last couple times I was there, it was fifteen bucks for a six-ounce sirloin accompanied by an endless supply of grilled shrimp. Just ask for more when you want it.

I can't remember the last time I was in an Outback without a gun. Gun-free zone, my kosher ass!

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by Longbow_06:
I guess I'll never eat at the overpriced Outback again

Last couple times I was there, it was fifteen bucks for a six-ounce sirloin accompanied by an endless supply of grilled shrimp. Just ask for more when you want it.

I can't remember the last time I was in an Outback without a gun. Gun-free zone, my kosher ass!

IS this a chain rule, or this particular manager's?

There's an outback in a hotel my battalion uses frequently during drill weekends...we'll sometimes go right after and still be in uniform (unarmed), but it's frequented by local cops, in uniform and armed, and troopers (uniformed and armed) a lot of whom we know...

We've never had a problem.

quote:

Ward continues not to blame the manager for her actions.

On Saturday, Ward told NewsChannel9 that he considers the incident to be over.

“I have spoken with the manger involved, the regional manager and the Vice President of operations for Outback today. They have apologized profusely and I have accepted their apology and the issue in my opinion has been concluded.”

Outback Steakhouse also sent the couple a $100 gift certificate for the ordeal.

While he doesn't blame the manager for her actions, it was poor managerial judgement at her level which led to this.

This is far from over. Something so stupid like this can, probably will, lead to a silent boycott of that location. Business drops and the good people working there turn into the victims.

The "customer" who was afraid should've been asked to leave. I'd much rather deal with that, and possibly the race/liberal baiting, aftermath than to ask a cop to leave because someone felt "unsafe" due to him having his service weapon on him while in uniform.

Yep, Cleveland Tennessee, the next fair sized town south of my location. It’s home to Lee College, a Church of God School, home of Jentezen Franklin (sp?). I’ve heard that the officer has been offered apologies and a gift certificate as an effort to back pedal the bad press this has received on social media and local news in addition to Fox News. I’m not a betting man but I’d bet the house the complaint was from a Democrat.

quote:

Originally posted by Rightwire:
Yet another example of society bowing to the irrational complaint of one person

I agree there is too much of this happening now. I believe some people are attention whores and we let this happen.

quote:

Wildlife Resource Agency officer

We all know which group the Manager sides with here.....

I haven't been to an outback in many years (or even had curbside takeaway for that matter.) I do go to Buffalo Wild Wings even with their stated corporate policy. They have good wings, lots of sports, and the service is excellent (the bartender is a friend.) But for me, I wouldn't carry there anyway, as I won't carry when I'm planning on having drinks.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:

quote:

Ward continues not to blame the manager for her actions.

On Saturday, Ward told NewsChannel9 that he considers the incident to be over.

“I have spoken with the manger involved, the regional manager and the Vice President of operations for Outback today. They have apologized profusely and I have accepted their apology and the issue in my opinion has been concluded.”

Outback Steakhouse also sent the couple a $100 gift certificate for the ordeal.

While he doesn't blame the manager for her actions, it was poor managerial judgement at her level which led to this.

This is far from over. Something so stupid like this can, probably will, lead to a silent boycott of that location. Business drops and the good people working there turn into the victims.

The "customer" who was afraid should've been asked to leave. I'd much rather deal with that, and possibly the race/liberal baiting, aftermath than to ask a cop to leave because someone felt "unsafe" due to him having his service weapon on him while in uniform.

My opinion, you are 9,000% correct. No question.

If I had been the manager, my response to the whiny-assed customer would have been something like "We all feel much safer when Law Enforcement Officers choose to patronize our restaurant. If you have a problem with that, there are many other places to eat in this city. If you feel that you need an escort to get to your car safely, I can call an armed police officer for you. Would you like me to do that?"

So she demanded to be escorted to her vehicle by what? An unarmed Outback employee that could have done nothing to prevent a shooting like the officer with the gun could have?

Just should have asked told the woman to leave as the other patrons are "scared" of crazy women.