A Chick-Fil-A Security Guard Allegedly Kicked Out A Homeless Person, According To A TikTok
TikTokers are questioning the actions of a security guard at a Chick-fil-A in Miami after a homeless man who was eating a meal – which the creator of the video claims he paid for – was allegedly removed from the restaurant. Posted by TikToker @pinedalainez884, the video, which as of this writing has 383K views, shows a Chick-fil-A employee pointing out a man sitting at the end of a counter in a corner to a man wearing a shirt that reads "Miami Police" on the back. The security guard approaches the man, and he soon appears to stand up and gather his things.
The video ends there and it is unclear if the man left the restaurant. Written in Spanish, the caption roughly translates to "Today in Chick-fil-A they kicked out a man for being homeless even though he paid for his food." Some TikTokers took to the comments to express their disagreement with the security guard's actions, agreeing with @pinedalainez884's claim that they are discriminatory. "This is so heartbreaking because he even chose to eat in the last seat far away from everyone. If I was there I would of spoken up for him," commented one user. "It was wrong that man deserves to sit and enjoy his food like everyone else," wrote another.
Chick-fil-A claims the man in question was a safety threat
But things may not always be as they seem. In a comment about the incident on its Facebook page, Chick-fil-A Downtown Miami & Miami Central explained its side of the story, stating that the man in the video has had a history of being 'verbally hostile' toward guests, has spit on guests, and had violated a trespass warning for the restaurant.
The restaurant also made sure to point out that the Miami police officer depicted in the video was off-duty and part of a security force that's employed to keep customers safe. Therefore, police were not called to handle the situation. "Our number one concern in any situation is the safety of both our customers as well as our staff. We would never remove an individual due to them being homeless, deny them service, or a place to eat their food," they wrote.
The restaurant group also pointed out that they partner with the community to help the homeless, and Chick-fil-A's website says the company regularly gives food to soup kitchens and supports organizations that help the hungry and homeless. "I stand with Chic[k]-fil-A on this one," commented one Facebook user.