A TikToker, who claimed to be a former Raising Cane’s employee, alleged their manager wouldn’t let them have a meal break because they work in food service.
TikTok creator @baroquebetch said in a recent video, which garnered more than 700,000 views, that they got “confrontational” with the store’s management team and demanded to know why couldn’t take a meal break. He went on to say that literature in the building contradicted the manager’s allegations about meal breaks and that he ultimately decided to quit his job with the franchise.
@baroquebetch #fastfood #workersrights #knowyourrights ♬ original sound – baroquenviolin
“The first thing I did when I woke up this morning was file a complaint with the state Department of Labor and Employment. Fortunately, I saved the documentation showing my time punch hours,” he started his video.
@baroquebetch said that it didn’t seem like management was initially taking his grievances seriously. “I let him know yesterday during my shift ‘I did not get my meal period, which is illegal, so I need to talk to somebody about that.’ He told me, ‘Oh this is food service so you don’t get meal periods,'” @baroquebetch, who has over 100,000 followers, said.
The TikToker said he felt the need to be “forceful” about not receiving a break so that he wasn’t guilt-tripped or influenced by management into accepting not being offered one.
The U.S. Department of Labor states that “Federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks,” and several Glassdoor reviews from workers of the franchise have featured complaints about not being offered breaks while on the clock for the fast food chain.
In a follow-up video, @baroquebetch said that instead of going to work and quitting, he decided to simply not show up. The TikToker stated that the thought of going in gave him a “panic attack,” so he decided to text his therapist about it. The Daily Dot has reached out to Raising Cane’s via email and @baroquebetch via TikTok comment for further information.
TikTokers who saw the initial post recommended ways to officially document grievances.
One user wrote: “Save any documentation about retaliation. Also, emails/texts recapping the convos help a lot.”
Someone else couldn’t believe that @baroquebetch had a master’s degree and worked in the fast-food service industry.
@baroquebetch said he’s unable to secure a job that is related to his degree due to being an autistic adult. “Yep. Welcome to being an autistic adult with a college degree in the United States. 85% of us are unemployed and underemployed because discrimination,” he said.
Another user on the platform suggested that he simply take his break when he’s supposed to instead of waiting for a manager to tell him that he could. “Take your break, don’t wait for them to give it to you. if they fire you, best revenge is them paying your unemployment until you find another job,” they wrote.