Former Whataburger employee says refusal of officers was a joke (9 yr emp., im his 50s)

WFAA ^ | 9/17/15 | Sebastian Robertson

[raccoonradio]

LEWISVILLE – The story of a now-former Whataburger employee denying service to two police officers went viral Wednesday, but that former employee told us there are two sides to every story and the incident was just a misunderstanding.

Michael Magovern, who says he was refused service by the employee, is a city marshal in Strawn, Texas. He was back at the Lewisville Whataburger for lunch Wednesday at the request of Whataburger corporate staff, who asked him to come so they could apologize.

"No person should make that comment to anybody," Marshal Magovern said.

News 8 spoke to the former employee — who said he has received death threats and asked not to be identified — Wednesday.

The marshal and another officer say they stopped into the Whataburger off of Interstate 35 near Main Street Tuesday night and were told, "We don't serve police officers," by the employee.

Magovern said he thought the employee was joking, but when he asked the employee if it was supposed to be a joke, he said nothing.

"The gentleman behind the counter said 'We don't serve police officers,'" Magovern said. "No smile. No hilarity. Nothing."

snip

"First, I thought, 'Oh man, this is a shame — all over a joke,'" he [ex-employee] said. "I'm joking around with the police, and I lose my job, something I've had over nine years."

He also claims he tried to explain that it was a joke to the officers.

"I told them, 'Look man, it was just a joke, And I apologize if y'all took it the wrong way," the former employee told News 8. "I said, 'It was just a joke, I do that to a lot of police officers.'"

[Old Yeller]

People call in bomb threats as jokes too.