A woman tearfully recounted in a now-viral TikTok how she was fired from her server job over a pasta dish that contained bacon. She says other employees kept their jobs after making worse mistakes.
TikTok user @_lisheortega_ posted a video on April 18 that shows her in tears. “Well, I just got fired from my job because I sold somebody a rigatoni that had bacon. And the menu doesn’t say that it has bacon,” she says. “So I got fired for selling someone the pasta.”
Furthermore, the TikToker says she’s seen her co-workers make “worse” mistakes. She says they were not fired as a result of their mistakes. “I literally cried to the owner. And I had told him, ‘I don’t think it’s fair to fire me just because of a mistake that I’ve done once.’ And he didn’t give an [expletive],” she says.
“I’m going to cut this off, because I don’t want to be crying on camera,” she says in conclusion. “This is ridiculous.”
Viewers offer advice
The video has amassed more than 57,000 views as of Monday morning. In the comments, users offered advice and encouragement.
One user wrote, “I got fired for making one mistake too at a pharmacy I worked in, end up getting a job that pays me $6 more. Trust in the universe babe.”
A second user echoed the sentiment. “Baby don’t ever ask for a second chance. There will be other jobs I promise you. Eff them. You’re divine intervention is helping you leave for better,” they wrote.
Another user said, “Girl I got fired for giving a nurse a %10 discount because corporate said they count for the first responder discount then changed the policy without me knowing and I still got fired.”
One user simply said, “GURL IF YOU DON’T GET A LAWYER.”
Can employers fire workers for simple mistakes?
In this case, we’d need more information from @_lisheortega_ to understand whether the people advising her to sue her former employer have a point. In general, employers are able to fire workers for mistakes on the job. A lawyer is able review the details of specific complaints. From there, they can determine if the fired worker was the victim of discrimination or retaliation. Those are situations in which a worker could sue for wrongful termination.
In March, a woman went viral after saying she was "wrongfully fired" from Chick-fil-A after working there for three years.
The Daily Dot reached out to @_lisheortega_ via TikTok direct message for comment.
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