AUBURN (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- The Auburn IHOP restaurant issued an apology Monday, denying allegations of discrimination after a customer reported, what's being called a recent "incident," on Facebook.
Melvin Escobar, manager of the Auburn IHOP told NEWS CENTER Maine a server at the restaurant asked a group of teens Sunday night to pay for their food upfront, which he says is against policy.
Another customer saw what happened, and wrote about the incident on Facebook.
The post received hundreds of shares and comments.
Escobar said his restaurant has been experiencing a rash of teens ordering food, then walking out of the establishment without paying for it. Most recently, Escobar said, another customer saw it happening and ran out of the store to try and track down the teens. That person was able to get a license plate number of the car they reportedly left in.
The driver of that vehicle was banned from the restaurant.
Servers have been on alert with the walk-outs, and in this case, the server tried to prevent it from happening, according to Escobar. Escobar was at a different IHOP location at the time.
He stressed the staff does not discriminate against anybody, and it was a situation handled poorly.
The Auburn IHOP management responded with a post on Facebook.
NEWS CENTER Maine received this statement from the brand's spokesperson:
"IHOP and our franchisees strive to create a warm and hospitable dining experience for all guests, and this isolated incident is not reflective of that commitment. The franchisee of this location is in the process of reaching out directly to the affected guests to apologize for an individual team member’s misguided actions as well as using this as an opportunity to underscore the values we uphold as a brand with his entire team.”
Escobar says the waitress involved in the incident was issued a written warning.