An Albertsons grocery store in Louisiana refused to make a birthday cake for a 17-year-old Louisiana girl earlier this week because the customer had asked the store’s bakery to write the words “Trump 2016” on top.
McKenzie Gill of Bossier City, La., went to Albertsons with her mother on Monday. Gill, excited about her upcoming 18th birthday and being able to vote in her first election in November, had planned a Trump-themed party.
But when the two arrived at the store and put in their request, the Albertsons employee said it was not possible, Gill wrote in a Facebook post about the incident.
“We just need an American flag cake with ‘Trump 2016’ on it, and right when I said ‘Trump,’ the lady just makes a face. And she was like, ‘I can make you a flag cake but I’m not going to write Trump on it,'” Gill later told KSLA. “It’s your job. We’re not really going for your opinion on what you think of the candidates. We were just wanting ‘Trump 2016’ on the cake.”
The story gained local attention by Wednesday, forcing the national chain’s corporate office to answer why its employees would not make the birthday cake.
“We apologize to our customer in Bossier City for the situation regarding the cake that was requested. Our bakery staff member misunderstood the training provided regarding copyrighted phrases, and incorrectly informed the customer we could not fulfill her request. We would be happy to provide the cake as the customer requested,” Albertsons spokeswoman Connie Yeates said in a statement.
Gill said she chose to have the cake made elsewhere and is excited about her party and voting in two months.
