On Saturday evening, a number of Shake Shack workers allegedly pummeled a gay man outside the company’s restaurant near Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. The fast-casual chain responded, well, fast and put out a decent statement as the police probe continues.

Christian Dingus, his partner and several friends went to the location and ordered food. Dingus said the order was taking an inordinate amount of time. After about 45 minutes, he inquired about the delay. He said an employee responded in an aggressive manner, and Dingus’ partner (who hasn’t been named in press reports) pulled him aside to try to defuse the situation.

His partner then kissed him, and a worker approached the couple and said, according to Dingus, “Hey, you guys can’t do that here.” For voicing disapproval at this rebuke, his partner was escorted by a worker to outside the restaurant, where the confrontation continued. Dingus followed them outside and stood between the two, again in an attempt to lessen the tension, according to Dingus, who taped an interview with NBC News4 reporter Derrick Ward.

‘Fetal Position’

“At that point, immediately, without a second, the worker just turned on me, starting attacking me,” Dingus said. “At that point, I think there might have been two or three other workers as well, threw me to the ground. I didn’t fight back at all — immediately just kind of went into the fetal position to protect myself.”

Video shows several people in Shake Shack uniforms punching and kicking Dingus, who sustained injuries to his jaw and face. The attack was halted (it’s unclear by whom) and the police arrived. The assault is being investigated as a hate crime, according to a police report.

Shake Shack acted quickly. By Sunday, the New York-based burger chain had suspended the workers involved. It also released this statement:

‘Zero Tolerance’

“We are aware of the incident on Saturday, Aug. 17, involving team members and a guest at our Dupont Circle location and are taking it very seriously. At Shake Shack, the safety and well-being of our guests and team members are our top priorities, and we have a zero-tolerance policy for any form of violence. We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation and have suspended the team members involved pending further review. We are committed to taking the appropriate actions based on the findings.”

That’s a good first statement, hitting many right notes. The company explains that it’s aware of the incident, which it takes seriously, and is cooperating with police. It affirms its commitment to safety (okay, in a bit of a clichéd way). It reveals that it took action in suspending the workers and promises to take further action based on the inquiry’s outcome. Shake Shack will likely have to make amends in some way to Dingus, but it’s probably too soon for that.

One negative: Dingus said in his interview over the weekend that Shake Shack hadn’t yet reached out to him. It probably should have done that.

Photo Credit: Shake Shack

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