A New Jersey Man says he was denied the service and insulted by a barista in a coffee shop in New York City after wearing a Maga hat on the morning of September 11.
Anthony Pullis, 31, stopped at New York City Coffee Chain Café Grumpy in the financial district on the way to the 9/11 memorial ceremony at Ground Zero. He was wearing a red “Make America great again“Hat, along with a photo of his deceased father, Edward Pullis, attached to his shirt bag.
His father worked in the South Tower of the World Trade Center and was killed in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. His family has since attended the annual ceremony in Lower Manhattan, the Asbury Park Press Reported for the first time.
The New Jersey man Anthony Pullis, here with his mother, said he was initially refused the service when he walked into a cafe in New York City on 9/11 and believes it was because he was wearing a red Maga hat. (Istock / Anthony Pullis / Istock)
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In the beginning he thought the store might not have been open yet. But after checking the posted hours and looking at other customers with drinks, he believed that the refusal was tied to his hat.
“We had something like that, good, this is ridiculous,” said Pullis.
His friend, Michael Antonucci, who was with him, encouraged him to go somewhere else and said the company did not earn their money. But Pullis felt forced to stand on his ground, especially after the murder of a conservative activist Charlie Kirk The previous day.
“I felt a fire in me,” he said, the feeling that he would go backwards would be the opposite of what Kirk would do.
Charlie Kirk appears on 10 September 2025 at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was killed shortly thereafter. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images/Getty Images)
“I thought it would be appropriate, and I could honor him that way,” said Pullis.
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed During it speaks at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah the day before. He was 31 and left his wife Erika and two small children.
Pullis returned to the cafe with family friend Tommy Smith, a retired firefighter in Long Island whose father, a firefighter from New York City, died on Ground Zero on 9/11. Smith, dressed in full fire uniform, demanded that the two were served.
The barista indicated, but refused to answer Pullis when he asked why she had refused him before.
A man from New Jersey said he was initially refused the service after he had worn a Maga hat in a NYC coffee shop chain. The owner later apologized. (Istock / Istock)
“I really wanted to know why,” said Pullis, adding that there was no one else in the store, and he appealed to the employee.
Pullis said he had left a $ 20 bill for the $ 14 order and said she had to keep the change. But he said the barista pushed it back and told him, “You are disgusting,” while he left.
Pullis and family members later left Google reviews that describe the incident.
Café Grumpy co-founder Caroline Bell told The Asbury Park Press that she was “shocked” when she learned what happened. She said the company took disciplinary action Against the employee and the staff reminded that refusing the service on the basis of appearance or personal beliefs violates the policy.
“You may not always agree whether you feel at ease about the appearance of a customer, clothing, tattoos, hairstyle or personal beliefs,” the personnel memo stated, according to the report. “Those factors are no reason for refusing service.”
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Pullis said that Bell handed the situation “appropriate and professionally” and assured him that the case was being tackled. But he was discouraged by the behavior, especially on the gloomy day.
Café Grumpy did not immediately return a request for comments.
The incident comes afterwards A tap -video went viral Claiming a Starbucks barista refused to write Charlie Kirk’s name on a cup. Fans of Kirk order his favorite drink in the chain in Tribute since he was killed on 10 September.
