In the fast-paced world of fast food, one wouldn’t expect a whole team to walk out mid-shift.
Yet, this is precisely what allegedly happened when a night crew at an Atlanta McDonald’s collectively decided to go home, leaving the store manned by just one employee.
The lone worker, TikTok user Trey (@whothatboytre), shared his experience on the platform, filming in an empty kitchen left in disarray.
The chaotic scene quickly gained attention, with his video racking up 1.1 million views at the time of writing.
McDonald’s worker jokingly offers free food
“Baby, when I say, the whole crew done left,” Trey casually says while sipping on a McDonald’s drink.
According to Trey, the night shift workers left the store due to exhaustion.
“They said ‘[expletive] McDonald’s,’ and they tired,” he stated.
To add to the chaos of the situation, Trey sarcastically offers viewers free food at the abandoned store. “Who wants something to eat? It’s free!” he concluded.
“I’M STILL COLLECTING MY CHECK, Y’ALL ON Y’ALL ON,” Trey wrote in the caption.
A quick look at the working conditions for U.S. fast food employees
Many more fast food employees have previously sparked debate online about the working conditions in their industry.
For example, one McDonald’s worker said she put in her two-weeks notice but was told she couldn’t quit. A Chick-fil-A employee claimed she was forced to work outside in 28-degree weather for hours. Many more stories like these continue to circulate online.
Additionally, a 2022 report by the UCLA Labor Center found that fast food workers in Los Angeles were more likely to contract COVID-19, and were facing difficult working conditions which worsened during the pandemic.
The same report said that violations of labor standards were rampant in the fast food industry during that time.
“Almost two-thirds of workers have experienced wage theft, and well over half have faced health and safety hazards on the job, amounting to injuries for 43% of workers,” stated the report.
These conditions may partly contribute to the difficulty of retaining workers in food establishments. According to Restaurant Business Online, recruiting employees remains “the top challenge” for restaurants, even with slight improvements after the catastrophic pandemic-era labor shortages.
Viewers are amused
In the comments, users found the situation humorous, while some praised Trey for his bravery. Others shared their own experiences.
“You are one of they elite employees,” wrote one user, accompanying it with laughing emojis.
“You strong, because I would’ve left right along with them,” said another.
“In all my years as a McDonald’s manger, I’ve never had a crew walk out,” offered a third. “I also had people I could call to come in. Employees don’t quit companies, they quit the manager.”
@whothatboytre IM STILL COLLECTING MY CHECK, YALL ON YALL ON 😭😭 #fyp #mcdonalds ♬ original sound – TREMOJI
The Daily Dot has reached out to Trey via TikTok and Instagram messages. We’ve also contacted McDonald’s through email for comment.
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