Ambassador fumes after Filipina barred from New Zealand doughnut shop

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine ambassador to New Zealand is fuming after a Filipina was turned away from a doughnut shop for being a foreigner. 

 

Ambassador Jesus Domingo expressed his disappointment with Krispy Kreme on Facebook after a Filipina was reportedly refused entry into its first doughnut outlet in New Zealand.

 

"Filipinos and friends in New Zealand-shall we boycott Krispy Kreme," Domingo said in his Facebook post.

 

Domingo also likened Krispy Kreme's actions to those of the Klu Kux Klan, a violent white supremacist group in the United States, and called the company "Krispy Kreme for Kiwis" only.

 

The incident happened early on Wednesday (local time) when 30-year-old Christopher Smith arrived in the Manukau City store in time for the opening of the country's first Krispy Kreme outlet, according to the New Zealand Herald. 

 

Arriving at around 2:30 a.m., Smith was able to secure the 75th place in the line and received a prize of a free box of doughnuts. 

 

However, he was shocked after he was told that his Filipina girlfriend couldn't get in because she was not a New Zealand citizen. 

Smith told media that the security guard told him, "She has to go. She has to go," according to the Herald. 

 

The Filipina then had to sit in their car and wait for nearly six hours as her partner queued. 

 

Russell Schulman, Krispy Kreme's head of marketing, told Newshub that it was unfortunate that Smith's Filipina girlfriend was denied entry but that those were the rules of the competition.

 

"Someone who is a little upset at the rules is unfortunately not an incident for us," he said.

 

Andrew McGuigan, the chief executive officer of Krispy Kreme Australia and New Zealand, issued an apology to the individuals involved and said that the company was in the process of reaching out to them to "rectify" the situation.

 

"We are disappointed to have caused any upset with our New Zealand Grand Opening competition," McGuigan said in a statement. He said that it was a "lapse in judgment" to apply their standard rules knowing the country’s "wonderful and diverse population."

 

McGuigan also stressed that they wouldn't want valued customers to be queuing for a long period of time only to be ineligible.

 

"Krispy Kreme celebrates diversity inside our business and in every community we operate," he said. "As a brand, we are open and honest and pride ourselves on being a welcoming place where everyone can experience the joy that is Krispy Kreme."

 

The official Facebook page of the Philippine Embassy in New Zealand said that McGuinan's statement was a "promising start."