Velvet Cream closes for now after owner, officer clash
Velvet Cream, a fast-food and ice cream institution in Hernando, Mississippi, has temporarily closed following a confrontation involving its owner and a police officer.
Last weekend, Velvet Cream owner and company president Tommy Flinn, who is white, ordered a black Hernando police officer who was responding to a collision in the parking lot to leave the property, per a report by WREG News Channel 3. In a Facebook post yesterday, Flinn's son, Trey Flinn, said the “unfortunate confrontation” was due to “a misunderstanding that led to tempers flaring,” and that the restaurant was being temporarily closed due to “false allegations, death threats, and additional threats of vandalism and violence against us and our teenage employees.”
Trey Flinn also announced that he plans to take over the role of Velvet Cream president and issued an apology: “As the new President, my first priority is to improve our customer service and build stronger relationships with our community. While my father is attempting to reach out to Officer (Hosie) Porter to offer his personal apologies for escalating a tense situation needlessly, I also want to offer my apologies on behalf of Velvet Cream with an eye toward preventing anything like this from ever happening again.”
The Flinns didn't immediately return a call to the restaurant and an email.
Nicknamed “The Dip,” Velvet Cream got its start in 1947 and claims to be the oldest continuously-run restaurant in Desoto County.
In 1962, Tom B. Flinn Sr., Tommy Flinn's father and Trey Flinn's grandfather, bought Velvet Cream and expanded its menu.
Here's the full Facebook post from the Flinns: Reach Ryan Poe at poe@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter @ryanpoe.