On Sunday, a soldier who was part of the U.S. Army National Guard was denied service at a Waffle House in Nicholasville, KY., after an employee noticed that he had a holstered firearm at his side, witnesses report.
The incident began to unfold at around 1:30 a.m. when the soldier, Billy Welch, sat down at a table in full military uniform with his gun by his side, according to The New York Daily News.
After placing his order, Welch recalled a waitress signaling him to come over.
"I got up and I walked over to them, asked them how they were doing and stuff, and they said I'd have to take my firearm outside," Welch told NBC's Kentucky affiliate WLEX. "I don't feel comfortable taking my firearm away from me. I always keep it with me and they said, 'it's one of our policies.'"
He then decided that if he couldn't have his firearm, then he wouldn't stay at the restaurant. So he left.
Micaela Shaw, a witness sitting in a nearby booth, saw the incident and discussed it with a local news channel, according to Aol.
"I have a bunch of family members and friends who have been active military and in the military and retired and it hurts my feelings when people disrespect them," she said. "I just wanted to stand up for him."
In the aftermath of the incident, the owner of the local restaurant released a statement saying: "For many years we have had a 'No Firearms' policy in place in our restaurants. We continue to believe this is the best policy for the safety of our customers and associates."
One commenter, Laura Zolman, pointed out the irony in Waffle House's policy and actions. According to her, Waffle House restaurants across the South are frequently the scenes of violent or bizarre crimes and "if some crime took place there best is an armed military person who knows how to handle a weapon," she said, according to Eater.
This is another incident in a growing trend of officers or service members being kicked out of restaurants for carrying a firearm, or other unavoidable reasons associated to their station. Earlier this month, a disabled veteran was kicked out of a restaurant in Chicago because of his service dog.
