A restaurant server bit off more than she could chew when she decided to give a police officer a “tip” on his receipt. In fact, the “snarky” message she wrote allegedly resulted in her termination.
After ordering dinner on a Sunday night from “Happy Camper,” a pizza restaurant in the Wrigleyville neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, a Chicago police officer noticed a message scrawled on his receipt before leaving the restaurant. The note was apparently from his server, who was identified as “Cassie C” on the receipt, and the message bothered him so badly, he couldn’t even eat his meal.
Instead, when he got outside, the Chicago cop tossed his $66 dinner in the trash, fearing someone had “spit in it” after reading the message. It said, “Quit your job!” Shockingly, even after seeing the server’s “snarky” message, the officer still tipped the pizza shop employee, according to NY Post. However, things were about to take a turn for “Cassie C” at “Happy Camper.”
After the disturbing incident occurred, a friend of the police officer wrote a Facebook post, calling out the pizza shop employee’s “unacceptable behavior.” They included the customer copy of the receipt, showing “Cassie C” as the server for the order, which included a 14-inch pepperoni pizza, Blackened Chicken Caesar salad, Mozzarella Bread Stix, and more.
“Everyone is entitled to their feelings and political views, but definitely not when it comes to a professional environment,” the post read, adding that the cop was in “full uniform” when he entered the restaurant at around 7:30 pm that evening, making it clear to staff that he was a police officer. The post also revealed that the officer “still tipped, and was the gentleman that he always has been,” according to Daily Mail.
“Where did people learn to disrespect the people that are paying their bills?” the widespread social media post asked. Saying the incident showed a “lack of management and professionalism,” the author asked, “How can anyone allow this to happen?” Unfortunately for “Cassie C” and her employer, that post ended up widely circulated on social media very quickly.
After becoming aware of the Sunday night ordeal, the “Happy Camper” restaurant said it “immediately took action to terminate the employee” on Monday, posting a statement about the incident on its website and Facebook page.
“Our company works incredibly hard to provide a positive and enjoyable experience for all customers,” the post made by “Happy Camper” read, revealing that the employee had been fired. “We sincerely and humbly apologize — the action of one does not accurately reflect who we are as a company,” the post continued. “We have zero tolerance for any behavior that doesn’t give our customers the full respect they deserve.”
According to a comment the restaurant made on the post, “Happy Camper” also reached out to the officer personally to apologize, offering him a full refund and a gift card to any restaurant of his choice.
While many praised their efforts to correct the situation, others suggested that, rather than terminating “Cassie C,” perhaps they should have had the employee meet with the officer and apologize, in addition to providing her with adequate training. However, isn’t treating others with respect and common courtesy something anyone of an employable age should already understand? Apparently, it’s not, which is why revisiting this 2020 incident is still important today.
Regardless of whether one agrees with how the restaurant handled the situation, the ordeal is a valuable reminder that some opinions are better left unsaid. When you are on the clock and representing your employer’s business, that’s usually the case when it comes to controversial attitudes and viewpoints. “Cassie C” had to learn this the hard way, but others don’t have to. She would have been better off completing the order without the side dish of unwanted advice.
