Virginia Beach, Va. - "We don't serve your kind."
That's what a hostess at a Virginia Beach IHOP is accused of saying to a police officer, according to a Facebook post.
The person who posted the message wrote that his uncle was in uniform when he went into the IHOP in KempsRiver Crossing and the hostess made the comment.
It's caused an uproar on social media. One woman wrote that it was "absolutely disgraceful," while another person said, "If this is true, I will never visit your establishment again."
An IHOP spokesperson says it's all a misunderstanding. He says the hostess was trying to make a joke and never used those exact words.
According to the spokeperson, the officer asked if they were open and the hostess jokingly said they were closed.
Harvey Eluto, friends of the owners, says he knows they would never stand for an officer to be mistreated.
"I would just like the truth to come out. If she was making a joke, 'We can't serve you because all of our tables are full,' if that was it, that's completely different," said Eluto.
IHOP says they have always supported law enforcement and the location in KempsRiver actually offers a 50 percent discount to officers in uniform.
IHOP says they have been in touch with the police department so they can apologize to the officer for any misunderstanding and invite him back.
We have tried to reach out to the officer to speak with him directly, but have not heard back.
