Popular Health Food Chain Takes Action After Employees Refuse To Serve Customer In Pro-Trump Hoodie
What started as a routine stop for smoothies in Ann Arbor, Michigan, quickly spiraled into a viral flashpoint over politics, workplace conduct, and the limits of refusing service.
Two Smoothie King employees are no longer with the company after they declined to serve a customer because he was wearing a hoodie supporting President Donald Trump. The confrontation, captured on video by the customer’s wife, spread rapidly online and ignited a fierce debate about political expression in public businesses.
Erika Lindemyer and her husband, Jake, entered the franchise location Sunday expecting to place a simple order. Instead, according to the footage, they were told by two young female employees that they did not “feel comfortable” serving Jake due to his pro-Trump hoodie. Erika, recording the exchange, immediately challenged the decision.
“We were just wanting a smoothie and you literally looked at us and I asked you if everything was OK and you said ‘We don’t feel comfortable serving you’ because of my husband’s hoodie. That is discrimination,” she said during the exchange.
One employee responded, “Okay, well, have a great day,” while another added, “I said Trump discriminates [against] us.” The couple argued that their political views had nothing to do with ordering food, while the workers maintained they had “a right to refuse service” and directed them toward the exit.
Erika threatened to call police as they left, though it remains unclear whether authorities were contacted.
The situation escalated further when one of the employees posted a separate video claiming she was a minor and had been recorded without permission. She asked viewers to help get the original clip removed and alleged racist comments were flooding her social media. In the video, she joked that she might have “accidentally started a race war,” a remark that drew additional backlash.
By Monday, Smoothie King confirmed both employees were terminated. In a statement posted to X, the company emphasized its commitment to providing a “place free of discrimination of any kind” and announced that the franchise owner would implement mandatory retraining focused on guest experience standards.
As political polarization seeps into ordinary spaces, businesses increasingly find themselves navigating the collision between personal expression and service obligations. In Ann Arbor, a smoothie order became the latest battleground in a culture already running hot.