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Sedro Woolley restaurant offers police officers free food after telling cops not to dine there

SEDRO WOOLLEY, Wash. — Monday was supposed to be the day — a North Sound teriyaki restaurant made up with police after an argument last week and Monday officers were invited to dine for free.

By now you’ve probably seen the Facebook post from last Thursday about Skagit County deputies being told they aren't welcome at Lucky Teriyaki in Sedro Woolley.

There were a lot of people inside the restaurant Monday afternoon, but most of them weren't customers and none of them were cops.  The majority were journalists; others included the Sedro Woolley mayor and his wife, who speaks Mandarin Chinese.  She came as a translator for owner Michael Li, who invited all law enforcement to eat free.

"He swears he really wants them to come and enjoy the meal here," the mayor’s wife explained, translating for Li.

Sedro Woolley Police Chief Lin Tucker says he used to enjoy meals here regularly.

"I actually was here Wednesday night before this happened,” Tucker told us.

But that was before an incident with the owner's son; Skagit County deputies said the son told them not to come back and to “spread the word” to other law enforcement.  The sheriff posted about the exchange on social media and the internet exploded with support for police and backlash for Lucky's.  Li says it was a mistake; Tucker says he still probably won't be back for a while.

"I'm probably skipping lunch.  Do like I did on Friday and have a corn dog at AM/PM,” Tucker said.

The community is very much divided over what happened at the restaurant.  The hotel next door tells us they used to recommend their customers eat there but not now.

"With everything else everywhere going on, they deserve more respect than that--  a lot more,” said Miranda Young with Three Rivers Inn.

Chief Tucker says he hopes the business can survive this though.  So do the few customers who did dine there Monday.

"Sounds like a big misunderstanding and everybody worked it out,” Garrett Franz said, sitting at a booth in the back of the restaurant.