A conservative vlogger and social media influencer has revealed that employees at a Tacoma, Washington Panda Express restaurant called local law enforcement on him after he wore a MAGA hat into the establishment and gave a “thumbs up” gesture to a cook who was working that night. Chris Sims, accompanied by his friend and fellow MAGA supporter Danny Rebel, was livestreaming at the time of the incident.
“Panda Express kicked out @DannyRebel333 and Myself out for Simply for wearing a MAGA hat, and giving a thumbs up to a cook that just stood and Stared at me the whole time because of my Hat,” vlogger Chris Sims stated in a May 11 post published on X. “I asked if there was an issue and the cook said ‘Your Hat’ so I asked if he supported it,” Sims continued.
“They proceeded to call the police, and falsely say we were refusing to leave,” he recounted. “I left the store and stood on the sidewalk and multiple employees came out to intimidate me to leave and stop filming on the public sidewalk. The Police informed the staff that we did nothing wrong, the woman who called 911 cried and walked back into the building.”
“No crime, No disturbance, Just a hat and a Thumbs up. This is blatant political discrimination. Panda Express should be ashamed and hold its employees to higher standards,” Sims concluded. According to a report from Fox News, Panda Express put out a statement condemning the rude interaction between employees and the two conservative men.
“We want everyone who walks into Panda Express to feel welcome and treated with respect,” a spokesperson representing the popular restaurant chain said. “We have been reviewing the details and understand the situation was handled and addressed at the restaurant level. We’ve reinforced to all our associates the importance of delivering a consistent, welcoming experience for every guest.”
However, it might already be too little, too late. The footage of the incident has already been plastered across major news outlets and publications across the country, going viral on social media. As a result, numerous individuals have already started calling for a boycott of the restaurant. “Wow we were on our way to panda and I read this I won’t be going there again! We got hamburgers instead!” a user on X wrote in response to the story.
Another user tagged Panda Express in their response, saying, “This was a lame statement you gave Fox news. You said it was ‘handled at the restaurant level. What is that supposed to mean? Hope your stores are empty until a real statement is made along with an outcome specific to the incident.” User Tony Martin also expressed that he would be boycotting the chain.
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“I fully intend to boycott @PandaExpress. I want to hear their response to this outrageous behavior and how they will deal with these employees. What are the rules? Can we be kicked out for wearing a team jersey they don’t like? Can we be kicked out for wearing the wrong color? WTF?!” Martin stated in his response to Sims’ original post.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video