A New York food truck company stepped into a cancel culture ditch after it apologized for serving ICE workers and apologized again for saying sorry.
Lloyd, a taco truck company in upstate New York, issued a swift apology to outraged liberals after workers at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center in Batavia were served lunch when one of the company trucks parked there last week.
LUNCH
10:30a-1:30p
1.) Department of Homeland Security (4250 Federal Drive, Batavia)11a-1:30p
2.) @larkinsquare (745 Seneca Street, Buffalo)
3.) Airborne Business Park (300 Airborne Parkway, Cheektowaga)11a-2p
4.) @buffalostate College (In the Quad!)#whereslloyd— lloyd (@whereslloyd) October 23, 2019
A firestorm erupted on social media as boycott threats came in from the left, and outrage was unleashed against the taco food truck owners.
Citing their “deep ties to the immigrant and refugee communities in Buffalo,” the company issued an apology and said there was “no excuse” for their decision to offer food options to Immigration and Customs Enforcement workers.
We’re sorry. pic.twitter.com/chKkSGwwBr
— lloyd (@whereslloyd) October 24, 2019
“There is no excuse for what happened and we have already begun to update our internal procedures to ensure future truck stops align with our company’s values,” the statement by Lloyd’s said.
As a way to “make amends,” the company said it would be donating the profits made from serving lunch to ICE employees to a refugee justice organization, though the statement acknowledged that it would not “make up for our lapse in judgment.”
But unlike many of these examples of culture clashes that have left a business groveling and the left smugly rejoicing, the apology from Lloyd’s only ignited a second wave of outrage over why on earth the private food company felt it had to explain itself.
ICE Buffalo Field Office Director Thomas Feeley slammed the company for what he said was blatant discrimination against the facility workers.
“The men and women who work at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility are detention officers, deportation officers, administrative support staff, doctors, nurses, judges, attorneys, and maintenance staff. Each and every one of them is entrusted with the safety, security, and care of the detainees here,” he said in a statement to CNN.
“We are doing our jobs, enforcing the laws passed by Congress. Just like we have for many presidents. We will not apologize for doing this, not even to a food truck that now chooses to discriminate against us,” Feeley added.
New York State Senator Rob Ortt also slammed the taco company, calling the apology “pathetic pandering” in a tweet.
“In what world does a company feel the need to apologize for serving food to federal law enforcement officers who work in dangerous conditions? Pathetic pandering,” the Republican lawmaker tweeted. “The men and women who work to enforce our immigration laws and protect us deserve better.”
Lloyd co-founder Pete Cimino addressed the outrage in a news conference on Monday during which a second apology was issued.
“We make tacos, not war,” he said, explaining that their previous apology was “hastily made.”
(Video: YouTube/WKBW-TV)
“Chris (Dorsaneo, the co-owner) and I want to fully and sincerely apologize for our past statement after our truck’s visit to the federal detention facility in Batavia last week,” Cimino said. “Our statement was hastily made, and we reacted too quickly to criticism we received for that visit.”
“You know, we just want to serve tacos,” Cimino said, noting how social media and media outlets quickly took sides in the controversy. “This is not a political thing by any means.”
But the company’s apology for their apology got mixed reactions on Twitter where it seemed many were just tired of the political battles and cancel culture.
Hey guys…….its America, serve who pays you
— Ron (@ronvon51) November 4, 2019
Good grief.. everyone needs to stop being so politically correct and Just do the right thing and ignore all the hate!
— Susan Coward (@susieqewtie) November 5, 2019
This is what u get for trying to be “woke”
— Kenny (@Kennny_Sato) November 5, 2019
How dare they start a company to make money
— Chris O’Toole (@ChisToole) November 1, 2019
This poor Taco business was put in the middle of a political see-saw on Twitter. Glad they apologized for their apology. They are in the food business and serve food and choose not to discriminate against anyone. That’s how it should be! ??
— Cathie Garland (@cathiegarland) November 3, 2019
Sorry but those hard working corrections officers do not deserve to be treated this way..
— Mark T Knowles (@MCKNOWLESY83) October 28, 2019
Are they apologizing for selling and serving food to customers that ordered the food, or are they apologizing for apologizing? Why should they apologize for legally operating their business?
— Hello I’m Anthony Lewis, Sr. (Mr.Operations) (@DBIMGMTGROUPLLC) October 28, 2019
Thank you for un-apologizing. I can’t wait to live in a world again where who sells food to who and what government employees enforcing the law do for lunch. Bravo taco truck and shame on the keyboard warriors for demanding an unnecessary apology. https://t.co/xRfu4KyI34
— Michael Brill (@14mikeyb) October 29, 2019
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