A restaurant in Washington state that told four deputy diners to finish their meals and not return – and to spread the word among the law-enforcement community that the establishment was not a place where officers should go and eat – has now, with a tearful apology, put back the welcome mat.
Both the owner and son of Lucky Teriyaki, located in Skagit County, apologized to officers and said the ban was basically due to a misunderstanding from a language barrier.
First, the backstory.
As WND reported, Will Reichardt, with the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office, posted a run-down of the incident on Facebook a few days ago: ““I am not often speechless but today I was advised of an incident at the Lucky Teriyaki restaurant in Sedro-Woolley that completely took me by surprise. … As 2 deputies went up to pay they were informed by the owner that he requested they not eat there anymore,” Reichardt wrote. “They were told that other customers didn’t like law enforcement there. My chief deputy spoke to the owner to confirm this because he simply could not believe what he was hearing. … The owner not only repeated the request but asked that we spread the word to other law enforcement that they were no longer welcome either.”
Local residents expressed outrage, with some agreeing to not eat there again.
But apparently, all that’s water under the bridge, and the sheriff’s office has received an apology.
In fact, the owner broke down in tears during a KOMO News interview, conducted using a translation app on his cell phone, and said an employee misunderstood and issued the unfortunate directive to police.
In response, the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement on Facebook, accepting the restaurant owner’s apology.
“I met with the owner of Lucky Teriyaki and his son,” the sheriff’s office wrote. “They apologized for the incident that made news … and expressed their desire to accept everyone to their business, including law enforcement officers associated with all offices and departments. I told both father and son that I was appreciative and grateful for their willingness to once again welcome everyone to visit their restaurant. And that it was my hope that this matter can quickly be put behind us all. Thank you to all of the citizens who expressed support for law enforcement in Skagit County. Please accept that this matter has been resolved to our satisfaction, and we encourage everyone to patronize Lucky Teriyaki.”
Truth Revolt reported the restaurant owner was so sorry for the “misunderstanding,” he offered all local law enforcement officials a free meal on Monday.
