In the United States, there have been over 200 mass shootings in 2022 so far—including those in a grocery store, an elementary school, and most recently, a hospital. The victims who made it out of these situations alive are left with traumatic memories of those moments, so taking some time away would be ideal. However, one TikToker said that was not the case with the Cheesecake Factory they worked at.
In the video, the creator (user @jerdoosha) records themself in their car—presumably on a break from a shift—and says they’re in there crying. “I’m crying because we had a shooting two nights ago and it’s my first shift back and it’s really hard to walk through the place,” they say in the video. “It boggles my mind as to why someone opened fire in there and why we’re open.”
@jerdoosha ♬ original sound – Jerdoosha
They posted a follow-up video reacting to the local news coverage showing how shortly after the shooting, the restaurant opened back up and went back to “business as usual.”
On June 1, a disagreement between two men in the parking lot escalated when they entered the restaurant, according to reporting from KIRO7. Another Cheesecake Factory worker, Brandon Diaz, said the men then began shooting inside, injuring a customer. The restaurant reportedly opened as usual the next day.
@jerdoosha Reply to @jaydubb00 #greenscreenvideo this should give more context to what happened to all thsoe asking!! #cheesecakefactory ♬ original sound – Jerdoosha
The initial video has been viewed over 131,000 times, and the comments section is filled with comments of both support and outrage.
“I’m so sorry Jared, there’s no way to be prepared to handle something that you should never have to experience,” one person wrote.
Another viewer wrote, “They’re open?! I’m so sorry for you and everyone else involved.”
A TikTok user asked if people were actually going to eat and said, “That would feel so wrong.” The creator replied to the comment by saying, “Yes, the next morning there was a huge party, it’s so surreal how normalized and desensitized to it people seem.”
The Daily Dot reached out the creator via TikTok comment..
Update 2:23pm CT June 7: The Cheesecake Factory told the Daily Dot via email that the company has offered its Employee Assistance Program, which includes mental health benefits, to staff members involved.
“We are deeply saddened by the terrible incident that occurred in our Southcenter restaurant last Monday night,” senior vice president of operations Spero G. Alex said. “The safety of our staff members and guests is of the utmost importance to us. We have made our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) available to any staff member feeling anxiety or stress regarding the incident. Staff members impacted from the incident may also take time off from work.”
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