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Two workers at Smoothie King on Jackson Road in Ann Arbor have been fired for refusing to serve a Dearborn Heights couple because the husband was wearing a hoodie with President Donald Trump's name on it, Fox 2 reports
The wife, Erika Lindemyer, recorded the encounter, in which the workers said they weren't comfortable serving them because of the Trump hoodie her husband, Jake, was wearing. The video was posted on TikTok on Monday.
The couple told the employees that what they were doing amounted to discrimination and was illegal. One employee is heard saying, "We have a right to refuse service."
The wife subsequently posted on social media:
"TikTok, please bring light to this situation. My husband and I were refused service because of a hoodie! How discriminating is this? @smoothieking do better! What happened to the land of the free because of the brave?"
The corporate franchise issued a statement:
"As a brand, Smoothie King is committed to ensuring our stores are a place free of discrimination of any kind, where every guest and team member is treated with care and respect.
"Following an investigation into an incident involving a guest who was refused service at a franchised location in Michigan yesterday, the franchise owner has taken immediate action, and the two employees involved are no longer with the business. Both the franchise owner and Smoothie King corporate have reached out to the guest several times to apologize and will continue to follow up. The local owner is also taking further action and enforcing mandatory retraining for all employees that outlines our guest experience standards."
Detroit attorney Jonathan Marko, who is not involved in the case, tells Fox 2 that it is not illegal for a private business to discriminate based on political views.
"A lot of people are surprised to find out that the constitutional freedom of speech does not apply to private businesses, which means private businesses can discriminate based on political viewpoint," he said. "You could refuse service to someone with a MAGA hat, or you could refuse service to someone with a Kamala Harris hat. It's just the law."
