A routine stop for smoothies turned into a viral moment for a Michigan couple after two Smoothie King employees refused to serve them — ultimately costing both workers their jobs.
The incident unfolded on a Sunday afternoon at a Smoothie King franchise location on Jackson Road in Ann Arbor, Michigan, when Jake Lindemyer and his wife, Erika, walked in looking to place an order. What happened next was captured on video by Erika and quickly spread across social media, racking up more than 666,000 views by Monday night.
What happened inside the store
The confrontation began when employees at the counter told the couple they were not comfortable serving them, citing the pro-Trump hoodie Jake was wearing at the time. The two employees — identified in the footage as young women working behind the counter — asked the couple to leave rather than fulfill their order.
Erika pushed back, arguing that refusing service based on her husband’s clothing amounted to political discrimination. She pointed out that the couple had simply come in for a smoothie and had done nothing to warrant being turned away. The employees maintained their position, with one invoking the right to refuse service and directing the couple toward the exit…