Carvel Manager: I Was Fired For Not Serving Maskless Customer

GLEN COVE, NY — The manager of a Long Island Carvel said he was fired for refusing to serve a coughing customer who would not wear a mask in the store and who tried to pay using a wet bill, according to reports.

Glen Cove resident Thomas DeSarle, who managed the ice cream shop on on Forest Avenue for two years, said he was terminated for following state health guidelines that mandate customers wear masks while inside restaurants amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. DeSarle made a July 14 post, which he has since taken down, in the Facebook group "Glen Cove Neighbors" sharing what happened.

The incident occurred July 11 and was captured on a soundless store video aired by WNBC/4. DeSarle said a man entered the shop while coughing and without wearing mask, despite signs on the door stating that facial coverings are required. The customer then ignored DeSarle when he offered him a mask, he said. When the customer tried to pay with a bill Desarle described as wet with perspiration, he told the franchise owner, Annie Chen, that he would not complete the transaction, Newsday reported.

When DeSarle returned for work July 13, he said he was told, "If you can't serve customers, then you can't work here." He added that he has previously refused to serve customers not wearing a mask, each time without incident. "We are in the middle of a pandemic. We have no idea of how we get sick or how we contract this virus."

But Chen said that DeSarle quit and was not fired, Newsday reported. DeSarle has since hired an attorney, according to ABC7.