Low pay and poor working conditions are major problems in the fast food industry right now, which may explain this viral TikTok from a Hooters waitress.
Captioned “when only one cook shows up to work & you’re on a 45 minute wait because the entire world is understaffed rn,” the video shows TikToker @kenzjee standing in a parking lot in her Hooters uniform, complaining about the restaurant’s lack of resources. “We’ve got nothing, no food, no drinks, no servers, nothing.”
Attracting almost 400,000 views this week, this TikTok sparked a conversation about rough conditions for fast food workers.
@kenzjee gotta let ‘em know before they even walk in #shortstafffed #hooterstiktok #FindYourEdge #understaffed #serverlife ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
“hmm,” reads one of the top responses. “maybe the owners should pay the workers a living wage.” Most other commenters agreed, adding similar arguments like, “When they pay 8.00 an hour what do you expect.”
When a less sympathetic commenter chimed in (“these youngsters don’t want to work anymore like we did coming up”), @kenzjee was quick to clap back: “u mean basically working for free?”
Some people also asked why she didn’t help out in the kitchen, leading @kenzjee to explain that servers aren’t trained as cooks. Plus, you aren’t allowed to cook in the skimpy Hooters uniform anyway. “they pay me 2.13/hr i don’t get paid enough to cook,” she added.
This isn’t the first time a fast food worker has exposed their workplace on TikTok, with others complaining about the stress of working in understaffed restaurants, revealing disgusting equipment, or simply walking out because working conditions were too unpleasant. @kenzjee’s TikTok is short and simple, but it illustrates a widespread problem that lots of people understand firsthand, as chains like McDonalds and Hooters struggle to retain their staff.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @kenzjee via TikTok comment.