Uniformed Officer Asked to Leave Outback Steakhouse Because of His Gun

Outback Steakhouse signage is displayed outside of a restaurant location at the Queens Pla
Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A uniformed law enforcement officer was asked to leave a Cleveland, Tennessee, Outback Steakhouse restaurant on Friday because he was carrying his service pistol on his hip.

The Outback restaurant manager said the officer needed to leave because the restaurant is a “gun free zone.”

The officer, Andrew Ward, with the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency, used a Facebook post to explain what happened:

News Channel 9 reports that the restaurant’s regional manager and the VP of operations for Outback “apologized profusely” when learning of the incident.

And Outback’s parent company, Bloomin Brands, released a statement: “We’ve always allowed uniformed law enforcement officers to carry their side arms inside our restaurants. A manager made a mistake and we have discussed this with her. We have contacted the guest personally and apologized.”

Ward suggests the misunderstanding began when another customer filed a complaint, saying they were scared because “police are shooting people.”

Outback is reportedly sending Ward a $100 gift certificate.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkinsa weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.

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