LYNNWOOD — When Cyndi Lantz was hired at Landmark Espresso coffee stand just three months ago, she said she didn’t know she would have to lose about 50 pounds to be able to keep her job.
Lantz, 36, mother of three, who has over nine years experience running coffee stands, said everything was going fine at her new job, she thought, until her manager Jennifer Warnock came to her Aug. 11 and told her she was being “let go.”
Lantz said Warnock told her the owners of the coffee stand, Stan and Mindy Wahlberg, said “it wasn’t working out.”
The owners didn’t respond to repeated attempts to obtain a comment on Aug. 25 or Aug. 26.
Shocked, Lantz wanted to know why she was being fired.
“There were a couple of times I’ve heard them make comments about having a crew that is tiny with big boobs, so I asked (Warnock)— ‘is it because I’m overweight?’ And (Warnock) said ‘yes,’” Lantz said.
According to Warnock, Lantz has been a good employee, has always been on time and gone out of her way to cover shifts for other employees at the coffee stand at the 4100 block of Alderwood Mall Boulevard in Lynnwood next to the Lynnwood Landmark Inn hotel.
“None of us have any complaints about her, she has a right to her feelings, she got fired for what she said,” Warnock said, while Lantz and her family and friends picketed the coffee stand holding signs that read things such as “Landmark Espresso only hire skinny, cute girls” and “My mom made good coffee and she got fired” on Tuesday, Aug. 26.
And picketing may be the best avenue for Lantz’s plight.
While some employee advocates feel for Lantz, they said Washington state law is really not on her side.
“If the problem is not job-related, a person shouldn’t be let go just because somebody has a different view of what someone should look like,” said Doug Honig, a spokesman for the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
But Honig said that because Washington is an “at-will” state, an employer can terminate an employee at any time, for any reason other than race, creed, nationality, disability, use of guide service animal, sex, marital status, age or whistleblower retaliation.
“We get these calls all the time from people who say they’ve been fired for unfair or arbitrary reasons,” Honig said. “And often, they’re right. But in this state, you can be put out for unfair and arbitrary reasons.”
Honig said the best Lantz can do, legally, is to publicize her situation.
Becky Moore of the Washington State Human Rights Commission said “size is not something that’s protected” under the law.
“It happens everywhere,” she said. “We get that call probably at least twice a week.”
Lantz said, “I never had this kind discrimination. I come highly recommended, I make good coffee and conversation— customer service is number one to me. But I’m not going to make bad coffee and show you my boobs.”
According to Warnock, soon after the owners found out about the media attention, the owners told Warnock to give Lantz her job back. But Lantz said it’s too late, “they already hurt my feelings.”
News about Lantz’s dismissal stunned her other boss Kathy Kai, owner of the Bean Town Coffee Company and Lantz’s ex-boss, Craig Soucy past owner of what was Latte Landing. Both stands are located on Highway 99 in Lynnwood.
“I give her credit for sticking up for what she believes in—it’s become an industry that looks for a certain type and that’s ridiculous,” Kai said. “She actually increased my business by three times because she’s brought customers with her from when she worked down the way at Latte Landing. There’s a lot to say about someone with a nice personality and who can make a great cup of coffee.”
Kai added, Lantz is currently her opener, there every weekday at 4:15 a.m. “and I never hear any complaints from her.”
Soucy, who sold Latte Landing in January said, “When Cyndi worked for me she was an incredible employee.” Soucy said she worked there for about nine years and managed the place for him for more than five years.
“She was responsible for everything,” Soucy said. “Cyndi worked there the entire time I owned it and always acted professional. A big part of my customer base was because of her. In the espresso business that is one of the most important things- people develop a relationship with their barista and she did that— she was the customer’s friend in a lot of ways.”
Landmark Espresso customer Laramie Shields, from Everett, has been to the stand a few times, she said, but is considering not coming back after hearing about Lantz.
Landmark Espresso customer Gary Rasmussen, traveling through the area from New Mexico said it is the owners’ prerogative to hire just skinny women, but Rasmussen said the owner already made the decision to hire her the way she was so they should stick with their decision.
“I don’t care what the girl or guy looks like—I just want a good cup of coffee,” Rasmussen added.
Lantz said she just wanted to get the word out about what had happened to her.
“Mostly I just want to make people aware that this is happening,” Lantz said, “coffee isn’t about what you look like, it’s about customer service and good coffee.”
Victor Balta, a reporter from the Herald in Everett, contributed to this article.
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