Fairfax Dunkin' Donuts owner calls police on woman who tries to use store's free Wifi
A Dunkin’ Donuts owner called the police on a customer after arguing over the company’s free Wifi policy.
On Facebook, Tirza Wilbon White, PhD, posted her recorded conversation with franchise owner Christina Cabral at Dunkin’ Donuts in Fairfax, Virginia, on Nov. 7, minutes after arriving at the store. White had frequented the store for the past two years, purchasing coffee and working on her laptop while using the company’s free Wifi service.
“I had just sat down when a woman I had never seen before walked up and asked, ‘Are you going to buy coffee?'” White, 46, a former assistant professor at the University of Maryland and mother-of-two, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “I told her I planned on buying coffee after I got settled, but not if it were mandated.”
According to White, the woman, who identified herself as a “quality control” official, gestured toward another black customer, saying that he had purchased food before using Wifi. White responded by asking Cabral if a nearby white customer was held to the same standard, and Cabral ordered that she purchase coffee or leave.
When Cabral walked away, an employee informed White that she was, in fact, the owner. So White, sensing that discrimination was at play, approached Cabral to clarify the policy.
In one of three separate videos White posted to Facebook, Cabral says, “I get to make my own rules…I need to ensure safety to my customers.” She also cited previous customers who caused trouble without making purchases. “It’s nothing against you,” she says. “We’re just trying to make our customers feel safe.”
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/dunkin-donuts-owner-calls-police-woman-tries-use-stores-free-wifi-033324804.html