A pair of workers were dismissed after declining to serve a customer and his spouse due to his attire—a hoodie featuring President Trump’s name. This incident gained widespread attention when a video of the intense exchange began circulating online.
Erika Lindemyer and her husband, Jake, found themselves ejected from a Smoothie King outlet in Ann Arbor, Michigan following a confrontational episode with the two young female staff members on a Sunday afternoon.
The workers expressed their discomfort in serving the couple, attributing it to Jake’s pro-Trump apparel, a moment Erika captured on video that quickly gained traction across social media platforms.
In response, Jake and Erika accused the employees of “discrimination” based on their “political beliefs,” asserting their right to service without prejudice.
“We simply wanted a smoothie, and you immediately decided not to serve us when I inquired if everything was alright,” Erika protested. “You said it was due to my husband’s hoodie. That’s outright discrimination.”
“Okay, well, have a great day,” replied the first employee, maintaining composure.
“That is illegal,” Erika tried to insist again.
“I said Trump discriminates [against] us,” another employee chimed in.
“Okay, well that has nothing to do with us getting a smoothie!” Erika guffawed.
“OK, well that’s who you support though, that’s who you love,” the first employee chided.
“What’s embarrassing is that we’re American citizens and I wanted to get a smoothie,” Erika huffed.
The second employee noted that they “have a right to refuse service” and directed the couple to the exit.
“You asked a question and [the other employee] gave you an answer. Have a great day. Have a great day. The door’s right there,” the second worker said.
Erika threatened to call the police while storming out, but it’s unclear if she did.
In a separate video shared Monday, one of the workers joked that she might’ve “accidentally started a race war” and called on the public to help remove Erika’s video.
“I am a minor and she recorded me without my permission. The people in the comments are all white and they’re all being hella racist, guys, please help me get this video taken down,” she implored.
Smoothie King confirmed that the girls involved in the viral confrontation “are no longer with the business” as of Monday.
“As a brand, Smoothie King is committed to ensuring our stores are a place free of discrimination of any kind, where every guest and team member is treated with care and respect,” the company wrote on X.
The owner of the Ann Arbor franchise location will also enforce “mandatory retraining for all employees that outlines our guest experience standards.”
In early December, a woman who worked at a Target in California was berated by a customer for wearing a Charlie Kirk “Freedom” T-shirt.
When the employee insisted she was allowed to wear the red shirt, the irate customer accused her of supporting “a racist.”
The medical center where the agitated customer worked was bombarded with upwards of 6,000 “profanity-laced” phone calls after online sleuths doxxed her personal information.
