Fast Food Employee Gets Fired After Unwittingly 'Stealing' An Excess Burger They Were About To Throw Away
Corporations wasting food instead of donating it because it doesn't generate income should be illegal, right?
It goes without saying that food service industry workers deserve more than the bare minimum that corporations offer. One of the many practices in these multinational fast-food chains that should be outlawed is throwing away food instead of donating it to those in need.
This highly contested practice was once again highlighted in this Redditor's story. OP (original poster) is 19 years old and works at a fast-food establishment famous for its pancakes.
During her shift, one of the new servers mistakenly placed an order for a junior cheeseburger instead of the other meal for kids. As the food was about to be ready, she caught the error, informed the cooks, and corrected the ticket, but the food was already cooked.
They pushed the meal to the side and went about their day. About an hour later, OP saw the food still sitting on the "window." She asked the crew if the food was "dead," meaning it was about to be thrown away, and they all confirmed it was.
Instead of throwing it away, OP put it in a to-go container and set it aside in the fridge. She admits that she has been struggling financially and planned to bring the food home to her 4-year-old daughter.
By the end of her shift, OP took the burger, clocked out, and rode the bus home. OP gave the warm burger to her daughter, who was overjoyed.
She left her to play with her dolls while eating, and OP tried to relax when her phone rang. It was the general manager calling to inform OP that she was caught on camera stealing the burger and hiding it in the fridge.
OP explained that the food was "dead" and opened up about her recent financial struggles
The GM stated that while OP's situation is unfortunate, she violated company policy. Furthermore, what OP did qualifies as stealing and is grounds for automatic termination.
OP tried to reason with the GM, but to no avail. OP admits that she made a mistake, but she doesn't truly believe she did anything wrong by bringing home food that was about to be thrown away.
[deleted]Does OP have any grounds to fight this and file for wrongful termination? Read the original post below before casting judgment:
[deleted]"About an hour later..."
[deleted]
[deleted]
"She saw on camera where I stole a meal."
[deleted]
[deleted]
It's no mystery that OP was referring to IHOP in her story
mudsquid
She expressed her frustration over being fired for food that was about to be thrown away after her years of service at that restaurant
[deleted]
If OP still wants her job back, she can offer to pay for the 'stolen' food
StripedCat404
Unfortunately, OP is in such a tight financial situation that she can't even offer to pay the food back
[deleted]
Helpful Redditors shared other places where OP can work and get free food without any issues
binthisun, fishy-the-2nd
If you really think about it, assuming this is OP's first offense, she wasn't fired over a burger
adshove83
She could have been fired for either or both of these reasons
Shelaba
She can also try sharing her story with a local network that can amplify the issues OP has experienced and maybe help others in the process
fisherpt77
Sadly for IHOP, they did not receive a glowing review from past employees who read OP's story
McStooley
One lesson OP can learn: ask if you can take the food first before actually setting it aside
McStooley
The real helpful advice: OP can easily find a job at a better place
Taynt42
She shared that she tried to talk to IHOP's corporate office to resolve the situation
[deleted]
But they stood by the GM's decision to fire OP. Fortunately, she was able to secure a better job immediately!
[deleted]
Admittedly, according to IHOP policies at least, OP was wrong to take the burger. The bigger issue is, when will corporations stop the practice of throwing away food when they could easily feed the less fortunate?
OP is not alone in her financial struggles. Most of us are one emergency away from bankruptcy, and knowing that is highly stressful; fortunately, OP quickly found a new job to support herself and her daughter after receiving supportive comments on Reddit.
