McDonald’s worker offers food for free after entire night shift walks out

Photo by@whothatboytre/TikTok Weerachai chandang/ShutterStock SrideeStudio/ShutterStock

In the fast-paced world of fast food, one wouldn’t expect a whole team to walk out mid-shift.

However, this is the situation that was supposedly the case when a group of night staff at a McDonald's in Atlanta made the unanimous choice to leave, leaving the restaurant unattended by any staff.

The single employee left behind, TikTok user Trey (@whothatboytre), documented his ordeal on social media, capturing footage of a kitchen in complete disarray.

His video attracted a lot of interest, accumulating 1.1 million views as of this writing.

McDonald’s worker jokingly offers free food

“Baby, when I say, the whole crew done left,” Trey casually says while sipping on a McDonald’s drink.

According to Trey, the night shift workers left the store due to exhaustion.

“They said ‘[expletive] McDonald’s,’ and they tired,” he stated.

To add to the chaos of the situation, Trey sarcastically offers viewers free food at the abandoned store. “Who wants something to eat? It’s free!” he concluded.

“I’M STILL COLLECTING MY CHECK, Y’ALL ON Y’ALL ON,” Trey wrote in the caption.

A quick look at the working conditions for U.S. fast food employees

A lot more fast food workers have previously ignited discussions on the internet regarding the job environment in their sector.

For instance, a McDonald's employee mentioned that she submitted her two-week notice but was then informed she was not allowed to leave. A Chick-fil-A worker reported being compelled to work in sub-zero temperatures for extended periods. Numerous similar incidents are being shared on the internet.

Moreover, a 2022 study by the UCLA Labor Center revealed that fast food employees in Los Angeles were at a higher risk of getting COVID-19 and were dealing with challenging working environments that became even more severe throughout the pandemic.

This study also indicated that there were widespread breaches of labor laws in the fast-food sector during that period.

“Almost two-thirds of workers have experienced wage theft, and well over half have faced health and safety hazards on the job, amounting to injuries for 43% of workers,” stated the report.

These conditions may partly contribute to the difficulty of retaining workers in food establishments. According to Restaurant Business Online, recruiting employees remains “the top challenge” for restaurants, even with slight improvements after the catastrophic pandemic-era labor shortages.

Viewers are amused

Participants considered the scenario amusing in the comment section, while a few commended Trey for his courage. Some also recounted their personal stories.

“You are one of they elite employees,” wrote one user, accompanying it with laughing emojis.

“You strong, because I would’ve left right along with them,” said another.

“In all my years as a McDonald’s manager, I’ve never had a crew walk out,” offered a third. “I also had people I could call to come in. Employees don’t quit companies, they quit the manager.”