A rude fast food employee on the weekend is not in itself a rare experience—however, being denied a condiment because it is not deemed a “priority” due to short staffing might be more unusual.
The restaurant industry is still in recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic, reports show. As restaurants closed in 2020, many restaurant employees found new jobs elsewhere, leaving owners of small mom-and-pop shops and large chains alike to struggle to fully staff their operations. Many are even moving to a more permanent model relying on less staff.
In a video that has drawn nearly 1 million views, TikToker Jackie (@thataintjackie) says she went to two different fast food restaurants to procure a beverage and entree. While she says she encountered an employee at Wendy’s who asked her to pull up to the window before she had finished ordering her drink, her encounter with a Chipotle employee was more frustrating for her.
It started with the front doors being locked nearly an hour after they had already opened for the day, she said. Once she is able to enter, she retrieves her pickup order and asks for some additional condiments.
@thataintjackie I should’ve asked both of them “why you not smiling?” just to piss them off like they pissed me off! #chipotle #wendys #dontpissmeoff ♬ original sound – Jackie
“I asked her, ‘can I get some vinaigrette,'” she says in the video. “She looked at me and she was like, ‘we don’t have none right now, and that’s not a priority, so we not gon’ have none for a while because we short staffed.’ What the f*ck did I do to you? You had to give me all of the ‘tude? I’m not the reason that you’re in Chipotle working on a Sunday. I didn’t make the schedule. Baby, y’all knew y’all was short staffed when y’all got y’all a*ses here at 7:30 this morning, ok?”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Jackie via Instagram direct message, as well as to Chipotle via email regarding the video.
Multiple viewers shared that they had also seen an increase in the amount of bad attitudes from service industry workers. Similarly, some commenters shared that they work in a restaurant and receive it all day long from customers.
“sorry but when you work in fast food sometimes the attitude comes out all day from 1 customer,” one commenter wrote.
“we can’t go anywhere anymore w/o staff being rude,” another wrote. “never complain, always ask how they’re doing, etc and still.”
“me coming home after a horrible shift at chipotle on a sunday all imma say is i’m stand by this crew member idk,” a third said.
