WAREHAM, Mass. (AP) — A customer who complained about the service at a Wendy's in Wareham says a manager responded that many people who apply for jobs at the restaurant cannot be hired because they're recovering drug addicts.

Matthew Rose said he recently sent an email to the chain's corporate offices after a couple of bad experiences. He said a district manager emailed him back, writing that while it wasn't an excuse for poor service, the Massachusetts town "has little to no talent pool to hire from."

The restaurant, according to the email, was constantly interviewing but "qualified candidates" were hard to find because "most are recovering addicts."

Rose said the response was offensive.

In a statement, Wendy's said the email doesn't reflect the company's values or hiring practices, and promised to address the matter "appropriately."