Olive Garden rejects US flag
Olive Garden rejects US flag, Woman upset over no-flag policy at restaurant. A restaurant chain's policy has an Anniston woman upset. A little more than a month ago Marti Warren went to the Olive Garden in Oxford to see about holding a Kiwanis Club banquet there. The restaurant agreed, but it wasn't until the night of the banquet Warren learned that she would not be allowed to bring the American flag inside the building.
And at 80-years-old Warren knows a few things about this country. She lived through World War II, was on the front lines pushing for desegregation in Anniston, and was an educator for decades so when she was told she couldn't display her American flag at a Kiwanis club meeting Warren was outraged. "I was so angry. I felt like I had been slapped in the face." olive garden unable to accommodate flags, olive garden no flag,
That slap came from the Oxford Olive Garden. One hour before the Golden K Kiwanis club's awards banquet the restaurant manager told Warren she couldn't bring in their banner or even an American flag. "I said having known this earlier you can bet we never would have eaten here. And I said if we had time we would have gone to McDonald's because we know they are American all the way through," said Warren.
We contacted the Olive Garden's parent company Darden restaurants. They gave us this statement: "Like all Americans we have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for the American flag and everything it symbolizes. In fact, we periodically provide American flag collar pins to our employees to wear while serving our guests. We understand and appreciate the way some people have reacted to the situation in Oxford and we're very sorry if this decision has caused them any concern. The Oxford Olive Garden does not have a private dining area. To be fair to everyone and avoid disrupting the dining experience for all other guests, they're unable to accommodate flags or banners of any type in the dining room."
But Warren says that's not what they told her. In fact she says they told her she'd be in banquet room three. And as for being in the way, they were seated in the back by the kitchen. "I resent that. I do resent that. I'm about truthfulness and that's not truthful," said Warren.
And now she's isn't sitting back quietly. "Word of mouth is powerful and if people find this out and decide not to patronage these places and it will hurt them in their pocket," said Warren.
The American flag may not have been present at that Kiwanis club meeting, but that didn't stop Warren or the others from saying the pledge. Warren told the club to close their eyes, picture the flag waiving in the wind, and they did just that.
Source: myfoxal
