So What Really Happened at the Brooklyn Heights Chipotle and Serving the NYPD?

By on December 29, 2014 11:46 am in News

Chances are some of your Facebook friends are outraged or “shocked, shocked” at the alleged behavior of employees at the Montague Street Chipotle.

The story goes something like this according to mythbusting site Snopes.com:

Employees at a Chipotle Mexican Grill in Brooklyn refused service to eight uniformed NYPD officers after making a “hands up, don’t shoot” gesture to indicate their distaste for the policemen.

The Facebook meme, seen here posted by someone decribing themselves as a teacher in the Brooklyn Roman Catholic Diocese reads:

However, this statement, Snopes says, is misleading and could be interpreted that all the employees at the restaurant were in league against the NYPD.

Chipotle has issues a statement and Snopes notes:

In short, Chipotle reviewed video footage of the NYPD officers’ visit to the Montague St. location and determined that what transpired involved not “the crew” of that outlet but a single employee who acted alone and has since been reprimanded. Chipotle has explicitly stated the behavior of that employee was neither condoned nor ignored (although they have not yet offered specifics of how the issue was handled). Chipotle confirmed that the eight NYPD officers were not denied service but rather left the restaurant of their own volition.

Ironically, the same Chipotle store caught heat in 2012 for offering NYPD officers a discount on meals.

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  • GHB

    Reprimanded? How about “fired”?

  • NYChalf

    Voting with my dollars. that employee should be fired.

  • brian_in_brooklyn

    Why fired? I don’t condone this action at all, but if cops can protest against the mayor (and apparently anyone who dares to question their behavior) and face no consequences whatsoever, then it’s a little rich to demand the firing of a Chipotle employee for raising his hands in protest.

  • Jazz

    You’re only half right if you think the NYPD members who have turned their back on the mayor, insinuated that we the PEOPLE are “on our own” and other sophomoric statements should not be fired as well.

  • NYChalf

    I hope Al Sharpton’s puppet didn’t get his feelings hurt.

  • Livingston

    Major difference is that the employee was at WORK (i.e. he was being paid by his employer to perform this service for ALL customers). If said employee can do this to a policeman, what will prevent he/she from doing the same for any other customer that walks in the door that this employee doesn’t approve of? What you’re referencing in terms of the cops’ recent behavior (and which I support) occurred on their own time (i.e. while attending the funeral), not on the job. If the Chipotle employee wants to protest, they’re free to do it off the clock.

  • brian_in_brooklyn

    Hi Livingston,
    Were all of those officers off duty? Were the officers who turned their backs on him at the hospital off duty?
    Weren’t they in their uniforms at an official function?

    The only difference is 1) the Chipotle employee is (rightly) being reprimanded, while nothing is happening to the cops, and 2) Chipotle is a private firm–they can discipline as they see fit. Police officers work for you and me and must answer to our elected representatives.

  • brian_in_brooklyn

    I’m sorry, I was busy receiving my coded message from the Sharpton/Holder/Obama Muslim-Communist Mother Ship, what was your point?

  • NYChalf

    That De Blasio is a puppet for a race-bating, cop-hating bigot and tax evader.

  • brian_in_brooklyn

    You see obsessed by puppets, NYChalf; have you spoken with your therapist about that?

  • Joe A

    So the cops, city employees, can make a political statement by turning their backs on the Mayor while in uniform and at an official function but whine like little babies when one citizen makes his political statement by giving the “hands up” gesture? Really? Organizing a boycott ? Pathetic.

  • Joe A

    Yawn. Yeah, yeah

  • Joe A

    Let me turn your question around. If the police can disrespect their boss, the Mayor what will stop them from showing their arrogant disdain for every citizen of this city?

  • Jazz

    Save this jibba jabber for Breitbart.

  • Jazz

    Is this really you Joe? On the side of REASON? Bravo!!!!

  • Joe A

    I’m always on the side of reason. Glad you can join me occasionally.

  • Jazz

    Well played.

  • A Neighbor

    This is not a very educated discussion.

    Do we really decide what behavior is acceptable by the standard of what other, often ill-motivated or uneducated, people do?

    Because the cops may have behaved badly does that excuse poor behavior by a counterman in a store?

    If someone shoots his neighbor, does that sanction someone across the street shooting him? I don’t think so.

    These are two separate matters and should be analyzed as such.

  • MonroeOrange

    Why Fired? are you serious…this has nothing to do with protests etc…this has to do with an employee not doing his job correctly…which is reason enough to get fired (though it sounds like chipotle was nice enough to let it end in a talking to).

    This employee has the right to protest…there are plenty of protest going on..but the employee needs to protest on his own time, not at work. Bc who’s to say that if he doesn’t want to serve cops that he won’t select another group to ‘protest’…say men with goatees and glasses…then where you gonna get your burrito!

    (of course, this would all be moot, if the cops actually went somewhere that had good mexican food)

  • jazz

    False equivalency much? What we’re saying is that both the behavior by the Chipotle employee AND the NYPD back turners are wrong. Both should face consequences because they were out of line while at work or on duty.

    Your other examples are ridiculous.

  • NYChalf

    Wow. how quickly it devolves into personal attacks on me instead of staying on topic – not that there’s much to defend when it comes to Rev. Al and his decades of bigotry and theft – all of which are a matter of public record. I hadn’t even brought up the hundreds of thousands of dollars he “misappropriated” from all of his failed attempts at running for office! I don’t read Brietbart, But here’s a nice snapshot from CNN, citing the NYTimes.

    http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/22/us/al-sharpton-fast-facts/

  • Reggie

    Not to change the subject, but that is me in the Google Street View photo and although my face has been obscured, it’s not very flattering and I wish you could find another image to illustrate this blog post. Maybe the just facebook screen capture? I have made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight. Thank you for your consideration.

  • brian_in_brooklyn

    “This employee has the right to protest…there are plenty of protest going on..but the employee needs to protest on his own time, not at work.”

    So you believe that the officers who turned their backs on Mr. De Blasio should be fired?

    Again, I think the Chipotle employee should have been reprimanded, but Chipotle is a private company and can impose penalties as it sees fit.

    Demanding, however, that the Chipotle employee must be fired while police officers–public employees–get off scot-free for their on-the-job protest seems unfair.

  • MonroeOrange

    If a cop protested to the point of not doing his/her job than they should be fired…no cop has protested (turned their backs) while working (ie, let a crime happen and not do anything)..This employee protested (turned his back) while working and did not do his job..thats the difference and he should be fired.

  • MonroeOrange

    also wasn’t this the same Chipotle that was letting the police cut the line at one point? i think it was on this blog…but i could be wrong.

  • Joe A

    Thats not what the NY Post says. They say cops are not doing their job.

    http://nypost.com/2014/12/29/wary-cops-letting-minor-offenses-slide/

  • BrooklynBugle

    Link is in story above

  • Ray Sykes

    This ’employee’ needs to be given a choice of dismissal or to personally deliver to the station at his own expense and offer a full apology to the officers he insulted. Yes he is entitled to his own opinion, but when on duty he represents the store not himself and should make amends or take the consequenses.

  • Moni

    A food server who turned is back on NYPD should be forced to apologize or be dismissed, but a police officer who employs an illegal chokehold to murder a man caught in the act of commiting the high crime of selling loose cigarettes should be required neither to apologize nor to forfeit his job. Doesn’t the cop represent the entity that employs him as well? Yet he need not make amends , and there are no consequences? What a twisted sense of justice.

  • Moni

    Nothing stops the police from showing their arrogant disdain for the public. They do it all the time. Every mayor grapples with the problem of reigning in police arrogance and corruption. Let’s all stop pretending that every one who wears the uniform is NY’s “finest”.

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