A restaurant owner says an employee’s first day quickly turned into a confrontation. TikTok user @buddy.love711 described the experience in a video that has received 86,600 views and 163 comments, sharing what happened between him and the employee during the employee’s first day.
Buddy, who runs a restaurant, said he had to fire an employee on their first day. In his video, he mentions how he had to fire an employee on their first day, not because he wanted to, but because he had to.
The employee, whom Buddy refers to as Drew in the video, told him he had another job and would need two weeks’ notice before starting. Although the delay was frustrating, Buddy agreed to reschedule the orientation.
A few days before Drew’s orientation, Drew called Buddy and said his other employer had asked him to stay a few more days. While it was somewhat frustrating, Buddy did it.
"I thought this guy was gonna be an asset for us," he says in the video.
The next orientation was scheduled for the following week. When the day arrived, Drew told Buddy he was having car trouble and could not attend. Drew asked Buddy to reschedule again for a few days later, and Buddy agreed.
"I get it, out of his control," he says. "But the fact that I've tried to bring this guy on already two different times and it keeps getting pushed back is really annoying. So I let him know, 'Hey, I don't have an issue with that, I'm gonna give you this other date, but you have to be here for this orientation date. I've moved it twice already. I will not move it again."
Drew said he understood, but 30 minutes before the orientation, he called Buddy to say he was sick. Buddy told Drew that he did not think the job would work out if he missed the orientation.
Buddy began the orientation with the other employee who was supposed to start alongside Drew. Fifteen minutes into the orientation, Drew showed up. Buddy said he initially assumed Drew had decided to attend despite being sick and told him to sit down. Drew then confronted him.
“No, I’m here to call you out on my b------t,” Buddy recalled Drew saying.
According to Buddy, Drew cited the employee handbook’s policy on illness and argued that his firing violated it.
Buddy responded, saying, "I'm guessing you missed the part on page nine section 8 that says that you need to give us a two-hour notice if you are sick and not gonna come to work."
After the confrontation, Buddy told Drew to leave the restaurant and ended his employment.
@buddy.love711 Fired on the first day #restaurantlife #restaurantstory #servertiktok #serviceindustry #serverlife
♬ original sound - Buddy Love
Commenters Questioned the Employee’s Decision to Confront the Owner
Several commenters questioned Drew’s decision to confront Buddy after missing multiple scheduled orientations.
"I can’t find a job and this dude is dodging a job WTF," said one, while another said that Buddy "dodged a bullet."
Other commenters focused on whether the employee handbook applied to Drew before he had officially started working. Another commenter said, "If I remember correctly, the employee handbook is for ACTUAL employees & a person ISN'T an employee until they've started orientation. that means nothing in it applies beforehand. dude's audacity is mind boggling."
The other employee remained at the orientation while Buddy and Drew discussed the situation.
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the events described in the TikTok video. The details are based solely on the account shared by @buddy.love711. The individuals mentioned, including the person referred to as Drew, have not been independently identified or contacted for comment.
