2 /5 Carisa Davis: My husband and I decided to dine at Mason’s, as we have many times before. We asked about the military discount and were told that it’s only offered when in uniform. This was surprising because every time we’ve dined there previously, we’ve always received the discount, so we wondered if the policy had changed.
Upon checkout, we asked again to confirm if the policy had changed, as we’ve always been given the discount in the past. The cashier, who has personally applied the discount for us before, looked us in the face and said they have never done that. We both knew this wasn’t true. I would have completely understood if the policy had changed, but being told that something that has consistently happened “never” happened felt dismissive and disrespectful.
As a military family, we’ve always appreciated businesses that honor service members — not just through discounts, but through honesty and integrity. Unfortunately, this experience left us feeling disheartened and discriminated against. As an African American couple, the way the situation was handled made us feel slighted and unwelcome.
Mason’s has been our favorite breakfast spot for a while, but after today, we’ve decided to find another place to dine. I hope management will review this situation and clarify the policy to ensure that all guests are treated with fairness, consistency, and respect.
