Black officer says he was charged while white colleagues ate free at Georgia Chick-fil-A

AUGUSTA, Ga. — A South Carolina police sergeant says a Georgia Chick-fil-A staff humiliated him by charging him for his meal while giving his white colleagues complimentary food.

Black police officer made to pay for meal while he white colleagues got complimentary food

Clover Police Sgt. Tracey Reid, who is Black, visited the Augusta location with three white officers during a work trip. All four wore matching uniforms and entered the restaurant together for breakfast.

“We came in together, same uniform, stood in line,” Reid told Channel 2 Action News . “There was never a time we were not together.”

Although Chick-fil-A often offers free meals to law enforcement, Reid was the only officer asked to pay. His colleagues say the incident felt racially motivated.

Detective Thomas Barnette recalled Reid’s reaction. “He looked sad and humiliated,” Barnette said. “It infuriated me.”

Despite the officers’ shared concern, Reid initially declined to exacerbate the situation. Later, he used his voice bt writing a letter to Chick-fil-A corporate. He requested employee retraining and stronger civil rights compliance across the company.

Store manager tries to make it right, apologizes

The Augusta store manager responded with two free meal cards and an apology. However, Reid and his colleagues found the response inadequate.

“It said it was perceived as a racial incident,” Reid said. “But it wasn’t perceived—it actually happened.”

Barnette agreed. “It’s not perception. It’s what happened. It was a racial issue.”

Statement by Chick-fil-A Augusta Owner-Operator

Chick-fil-A Augusta Owner-Operator Kenny Hanna issued a statement to the news outlet. He described the incident as an “honest oversight” involving separate registers and a team leader unfamiliar with the process.

“We regret the unintentional impact this incident had,” Hanna said. “We sincerely apologize to our Guest and are strongly committed to supporting our community’s first responders.”

Nevertheless, Reid hopes the experience leads to meaningful change. “I was kind of humiliated and embarrassed,” he said. “It seemed like a racial issue to me.”