Previously, the Daily Dot covered a story where a Hickory, North Carolina-based Jersey Mike’s employee alleged they were harassed by a customer on the job.
There is now an update to this story: Raniyah, the TikToker and Jersey Mike’s worker from the original TikTok, has posted a video showing her manager’s reaction to the incident, leading to outrage on the platform.
In two TikToks posted onto Raniyah’s account (@raniyah..brown), she shows a conversation with her manager where the manager chastises her for how she handled the situation. The first has already accumulated 1 million views.
“The customer is always right,” the manager can be heard saying in the first video. Raniyah’s original TikTok claimed the customer had made racist remarks and was generally obscene toward her.
In the second video, the manager walks back his first statement. “I didn’t side with her,” he says, referring to the customer.
“You’re my manager. You’re supposed to protect your employees,” Raniyah reminds him.
“You both were wrong,” the manager retorts later in the video.
Both updates sparked outrage among TikTokers, with many singling out the manager for his poor handling of the situation.
“His title is literally a manager. He should learn to manage the situation,” wrote one user. “He was a bystander.”
“Once the racial slurs and disrespect began work etiquette is out the window,” shared another. “What kind of manager doesnt intervene?”
“No sir. U are suppose to protect ur employees [because] they are on the clock and on Jersey Mike’s property,” detailed a TikToker. “You’re responsible for the safety of ur employees.”
Raniyah’s video is having a profound effect outside of TikTok. In a later video, Raniyah posted a screenshot of her Jersey Mike’s location’s Google page. At the time of recording, the location had fallen to 1.9 stars out of 5, with many of the over 1,700 reviewers making specific reference to the incident shown in Raniyah’s TikTok.
However, since the posting of this TikTok it would appear that the location’s Google reviews are now being moderated. The location now has an average rating of 2.3 stars out of 5 with just over 1,200 reviews.
For many, this has become a sign that they should no longer go to the restaurant.
As one user wrote, “[I’m] never eating at Jersey Mike’s if they are treating employees like that!!”
Jersey Mike’s did not immediately respond to Daily Dot’s request for comment via contact form. Raniyah did not immediately respond to Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment and Instagram DM.
Update 2:06pm CT, April 12: Since the incident, Raniyah tells Daily Dot the situation has only gotten worse.
“Jersey mikes fired me and has threatened legal counsel against me,” she says. Since then, she claims there has been “no further contact.”
Given the threat of legal action, Raniyah says she’s hesitant to disclose any additional details. However, she’s tells Daily Dot that she “will be taking this to the end.”
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