My first job was working at what is still one of my favorite fast food restaurants, specializing in chicken. The schedule was perfect and the benefits of free meals on break definitely appealed to me as a 16-year-old. I was quickly moved from a fry station to drive-thru based on my customer skills and speed.
Each location was independently owned and our owner, Mr. “Matt,” seemed to be a fairly good boss. Granted, he was way too enthused about giving me a 15 cent raise, but all in all he treated employees well.
One night, I was mopping the bathrooms after the dining area had closed, doing women’s first and then cleaning up in the men’s. Mr. “Matt” opened the swinging door and I assumed he was checking in on me, so I let him know that I was nearly done. He proceeded to unzip his pants and use the urinal in full view of me. And I mean in FULL VIEW. No 16-year-old girl needs to see an over 40-year-old ding-a-ling and I high-tailed it out of there!
I was later told by a shift manager that Mr. “Matt” is just a comfortable person and isn’t shy or reserved. This became apparent later on in his interactions with customers; I witnessed him spank a 20-something female on her rear, ogle teenager girls who were dressed as though they just came from track practice (short shorts), and make lewd comments at cheerleaders.
The problem was, he was so beloved in the adult community that the complaints from us “children” didn’t go far and nothing was ever done. It got to the point where I ended up quitting and all females I knew made it a point to utilize the drive-thru only when they were craving some chicken. It’s a shame, especially based on the company values (they are very wholesome), and I do hope that at this point Mr. “Matt” has been terminated.
– Jamie
My blog: The Sanity of a Mad Woman
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
sorry to hear that, but not shocked, C-F**-a has a problem dealing with leading up with their code. They get Sundays off, so I suppose all is forgiven and the funny business can start up again on Monday.
Yeay for hate mongering?
Funny one Jen!
Do you have anything to back that up Jen, or is this just a "hate the religious" rant? You state they have a problem, so please share with us what that problem is. If not, please rant elsewhere. We have one of these stores near us, and the people coupledn't be nicer, and the store donates a huge amount to all the local schools. My experience is that they really do practice what they preach. In this story, it seems that it is an isolated incident, and not a fault of the store itself, since it seems the local community as a whole treats Mr. Matt as beloved, not just the store.
Thanks.
"It’s a shame, especially based on the company values (they are very wholesome)…"
Try to use those critical reading skills of yours, Hugh.
Hugh, you can't cover up for Mr Matt. What he did was wrong — whether it was overt sexual harassment or inadvertent because he's just a "relaxed guy." Whipping out your junk in front of a minor is not good, not matter how well-respected a guy is in the community.
I'm certainly not covering for Matt. I agree 100% that his actions were WAY out of line. What I was trying to convey was that blaming the company as a whole for his actions was unjust. This company has rather religious based guidelines, and as such often comes under attack from the anti-religious people among us. I agree that the store was wrong for not putting an end to his behavior, but the OP also stated that the community as a whole pretty much gave him a pass as well. If the store is staffed by the community, it's not realistic to blame the entire corporation which owns these store, while giving a pass to the community.
I
In Jen's post, she attempts to denigrate the entire corporation without one iota of evidence, anecdotal or not. That was what I was attempting to confront. As I mentioned, I agree qith you 100% on the utter innappropriateness of Matt's behavior. If not illegal, it certainly closely borders illegal. If not careful, he may find himself engaged in criminal activity, even if his "intentions" are completely pure. If truly admired and beloved by his community, someone needs to take him aside and warn him of the potential issues he faces if he doesn't change his behavior. If it was my daughter he did that to in the bathroom, I'd be the one having that conversation with him, but I'm not sure how "polite" it would be.
Thanks for your post, Local reader, you helped me to clarify my point. 🙂