TGI Fridays caught a ton of heat recently for giving only $500 to a waitress who made the company go viral with her stellar service. The worker, Brittany Bell, became a sensation after she picked up a customer’s very upset toddler and calmed him down as she continued to work.
Bell fans widely feel that such a wealthy company should have given her a lot more.
TGI Fridays and the bungled PR attempt
On Dec. 4, a TGI Fridays customer took to Instagram to try and track down the waitress who went so above and beyond the call of customer service. In the caption of the video showing Bell carrying the calm two-year-old around, Chalaine Scott (@chaleezy) said he was “moments away from a meltdown.”
@chaleezy TikTok do yo thang! Help me find this amazing waitress! My 2 year old was on the verge of a meltdown and she scooped him up, he immediately squeeze hugged her, she brought him to the bar to get strawberries + cherries… and she carried him around! The crazy thing is my son NEVER goes to people and is so shy!! What a gem you are, Bell! People like you are what this world needs more of! Give this girl a nice Christmas bonus, @TGIFridays ♬ original sound – Chalaine
“She instantly scooped him up with so much love,” the customer wrote. “He hugged her tight, she took him to get strawberries and cherries, carried him around the restaurant and somehow became his safe place in minutes.”
“People like her are what the world needs more of!!”
After they found her, TGI Fridays made a big deal out of flying some suits down to Atlanta in order to present Bell with a reward for making their company look so good. They handed her a giant novelty check wrapped in red paper, which Bell revealed to be for $500.
@keyanalawson @TGIFridays Could TGI Fridays have done more for Brittany or should we all just be grateful that they recognized her and gave her something? #fyp ♬ original sound – Keys | Law
Though the waitress smiled and posed with the check, viewers quickly turned on the restaurant. Scott started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Bell as her video went viral, and the public has already raised over $10,000 for her.
“A case study in bad PR”
The disparities between the GoFundMe number and the $500 from a company that made $728 million in revenue in 2023 is only fueling the hate. The TGI Fridays TikTok account turned off comments on videos going back months. Those that remain with comments are still being flooded with “justice for Brittany” cries.
“How are yall a multimillionaire company and only gave the [waitress] $500?” asked @nolove..faithhhh. “It’s should’ve been way more…do better I’m glad I stop going here.”
Those comments aren’t half TGI Fridays’ problem, however. Across TikTok, people are dragging the company toward an early grave.
“How are you gonna let the public raise $7,000 for an employee that made your restaurant go viral, and all you gave her was $500?” asked @haussdrama.
“You’re telling me that the public, in this economy, can raise more money than a multimillion-dollar company?”
Fellow TikToker @kla.reads further pointed out that those executives likely spent thousands of dollars on the flight alone to present that $500 check.
“What happened to Brittany Bell and TGI Fridays is a case study in bad PR,” she said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to TGI Fridays for comment via email.
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