Waitress Fired After Facebook Post About Bad Tippers

A Texas Roadhouse waitress in Findlay, Ohio was fired on Monday after she made a Facebook post complaining about bad tipping.

“They told me that I knew what I was doing when I posted that, and they would have to let me go because a customer came in who had printed off a screen shot of it,” said Kirsten Kelly. “And they were really upset.”

“I just said, ‘if you come into a restaurant and spend $50 or more, you should be able to tip appropriately for that,” Kelly said.

“I was mad,” she said. “It was a Friday night and I made $60 because I had several people that night who weren’t tipping appropriately. More than one time, people spent $50 or more and they tipped five or six (dollars). That’s not OK!”

One of Kelly’s customers was a former classmate and Facebook friend who saw the post. They printed out a copy of it and showed it to her managers, according Toledo News Now.

“Kelly was terminated for violating our policy on Respect for Others, specifically using derogatory, abusive or threatening language towards a guest,” a Texas Roadhouse spokesperson said in a statement. “Calling a guest an (expletive) is not okay at any time or in any venue. Texas Roadhouse does not tolerate offensive language towards guests, whether it occurs online, offline or even in the parking lot.”

Kelly said she kept her post vague, not mentioning any people by name or what restaurant she worked for, according to the Huffington Post. The company said she had Texas Roadhouse in her profile and saw other posts. The company told the station its employee policy forbids the use of the name of the chain on social media.

“It is legal, you just have to realize what friends you’re accepting online, as well,” said Cayla Fortman, a career navigator on JOBsolutions about posting to Facebook. “Obviously, if you only have your privacy setting as ‘friends only,’ people you aren’t friends with will only be able to see your profile picture.”

“Just make sure everything you put on there, just realize everyone can see it online,” Fortman said. “It’s best to just assume that everyone can see it, because nothing can ever really be taken off the internet.”

Kelly said she has learned a lesson and will try to find another job in customer service.

“I mean, I knew that they could have yelled at me for that, but I didn’t think they could fire me for posting that,” she said.

[Image via WTOL]